The Blood Wars III
by Chrissiemusa
Summary: District 12 has been destroyed, Helia and Icy have been kidnapped, Flora's family is in hiding, and she is the only one with the power to stop it …once and for all. The final instalment of The Blood Wars Trilogy is here. A Hunger Games crossover. Rated T for now.
1. Prologue

**AN: This fan-fiction is the final instalment of my Blood Wars trilogy. If you haven't read **_**The Blood Wars **_**or **_**The Blood Wars II **_**then I highly recommend you do to avoid any confusion.**

**Please note that this fiction will begin with a T rating but progress later to M. Additional warnings relating to content will be posted above specific chapters where required. Please follow them and take note, all warnings are there for a reason.**

**Thank you everyone who has followed and reviewed the previous two stories inside this trilogy, I truly appreciate all your suggestions, thoughts, feelings and ideas. This story would not be what it is without your reviews and support, so thank you.**

**This story will focus on the third book inside the Hunger Games book series **_**Mockingjay **_**but will not follow the direct storyline or structure of the book (if you're looking for a copy of the original with the names changed then look elsewhere). It will, however, borrow particular elements and settings suited for the characters I've chosen to use.**

**So, without further ado, we are at the beginning of the end. Here is The Blood Wars III…**

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**The Blood Wars III**

**A Winx Club / Hunger Games Crossover**

**Written by Chrissiemusa**

**I do NOT in any way, shape or form own The Winx Club or The Hunger Games Novel Mockingjay, they belong to Iginio Straffi and Suzanne Collins respectively and I am not making any money out of this fan-fiction.**

_**Prologue**_

Pain

It wasn't the usual pain, the kind that came and passed quickly or could be masked by a variety of pain killers, that could be erased with a single needle jab into her arm and removed by a serum. It was the pain of a broken heart, which, although now floating in two pieces below Flora's rib cage, still weighed heavily on her lungs. She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling; her world eclipsed in a blur of fog and mind the same.

Helia was gone.

Not in the literal sense, though he very well could have been dead for all she knew, but he wasn't by her side, or down the hall. He was in Magix, probably being tortured for information about how they escaped the arena and where the citizens who managed to escape from District 12 were. He would never tell them anything, that much she knew, which could both be the one thing that kept him alive or bring his downfall.

Icy was gone.

She had been taken with Helia from the arena by Magix's ships, removed from the arenas blast and taken away before Faragonda or any of the remaining mentors could register what had happened. She wondered whether Icy would be alright. She too was strong, both of mind and body, but in the hands of the Ancestral Witches her fate could very well be sealed. Anything was possible when the world was a giant stage and the Ancestresses the master puppeteers.

"Flora," Faragonda spoke, stepping into the room to her right. They were in an underground cavern created by the people of District 13. The district that many thought was entirely desolate hadn't been what it was and, those who had been smart enough to live underground undetected, had created a new underground world. They secretly readied their own airships, their own weapons, food sources and health supplies. So when the news came that District 12 was going to be destroyed people fled into the woods and into District 13's wasteland.

It wasn't long before District 13's leader, Oritel, appeared with his troops and asked for their intentions. Before they knew it the live and wounded were moved underground for their own protection.

District 13 was essentially a baron wasteland after it was attacked; the only part that still stood triumphantly against all the odds was the old palace. It rose high into the sky and, although broken and crumbling from years of neglect, still stood as a testament to human courage and survival even in the harshest of conditions.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired," Flora admitted, returning her gaze to the ceiling. Faragonda looked at the young woman's tray table, still covered with untouched food. "You really should try and eat something… you'll need your strength."

"Why?" she asked, tears forming in her eyes. "What's the point…what's the point of all of this? Why didn't you just let me die?"

"Because I care about you and Helia wouldn't want that."

"But he's not here, is he?!" Flora snapped before closing her eyes as her head started to pound. "He'd be better off without me… you all would."

"No! We would be worse off." The mentor replied, taking the nature fairy's hand into her own and giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You and Helia have changed everything…you have managed to bring the world out of itself, to make the districts stand up for themselves against Magix, you have shown them what it means to fight for freedom and that, Flora, is the greatest gift that any of them could hope to receive."

"It doesn't matter," she mumbled, shaking her head. "All those people, fighting against the army, all they are doing is putting themselves into more trouble, putting themselves at even greater risk! I've killed them all!"

"No you haven't!"

"Yes I have!" She pulled her wrist from her grasp. "They were better off just living in fear, we were all better off just living in fear!"

"Listen to yourself!" Faragonda yelled, seizing the patient by the shoulders and staring into her eyes. "You lived in fear your entire life, you saw as the ancestresses organise games that killed children right before your eyes. You managed to survive the arena once, Flora, which was good, but a second time, that was a miracle. You broke their arena, you broke their defences-"

"And in the process hurt the people I love!" She cried. "Helia-"

"Isn't dead," Faragonda interrupted. "Freedom is worth the price that anyone pays… we have all suffered enough under their rule and you have given us the spark of hope and opportunity that we needed to finally take back our freedom."

"But people are dying…because of that, and because of me."

"Only because they believe in you and what you stand for. You cannot control individual people, Flora, but you can lead them." She shook her head from side to side.

"No… I can't do it."

"Yes you can," Faragonda sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed and relaxing her grip. "Why do you think you can't? Is it because of Helia? Bloom? Daphne?" Silence filled the space between the two before Flora parted her lips.

"Once I told myself that as long as we were together everything would be okay…but now I know it was just a lie, something comforting for me to tell myself… to make me feel better, but I'm lost without him, without them." She turned away, blinking her tears into submission but they continued to flow. "How can I be a leader when I can't even convince my own body to listen to me?"

"Flora," the nature fairy closed her eyes, she stared at the white tiled floor, finding it difficult to do anything. To breathe, to think, to contemplate their circumstance. "I think it's time you saw."

"Saw what?" She asked when Faragonda took her hand into her own and pulled her from the bed to get dressed. Once ready she was walked through the various underground passages and into the brilliant light of day. Faragonda guided her up a long flight of stairs and, when they reached a door at the top Faragonda stopped. "I didn't want to show you this… I was worried that it would hinder your recovery, but I think that you need to see it with your own eyes to understand." Faragonda's hand turned the doorknob and both were eclipsed with light as the door opened. When her eyes adjusted Flora saw the forest that she loved with all her heart burnt to ash. The trees that were once so beautiful and green and rolled over the hills were gone, replaced with plains of burnt black ash and smoke that bellowed into the sky. Darkness had confirmed in the land as large landing spaces for bombs ripped large holes and crevasses in natures usually beautiful canvas.

She felt her heart ache once more as tears threatened at her vision, but this time she didn't fight them. They fell silently down her cheeks and landed on the floor like raindrops from heaven. Around the base of the castle were people, the injured still being shuffled in by airships. The hologram before her showed everything, district twelve had been flattened, not a building stood and the search for survivors had been going on for days but Flora had missed it all. Had been too busy resting and recuperating after her own needs to see the devastation that surrounded her. She fell to her knees and Faragonda raced forwards to make sure that she was alright.

She didn't look her mentor in the eye and kept her eyes trained on the destruction before her. The innocent plants that had helped her when she grew up, whom she had travelled into with her father and who her family had spent countless hours in. The place where Helia proposed, where she cried until she couldn't anymore on the night of the quarter quell announcement, where she had gone to say her goodbyes before her first trip to the arena…it was all gone now but a memory. A beautiful memory, wiped from her vision by the Ancestral Witches and their plans, angry at her ability to foil them in their game again.

She hadn't died, that was what caused so much destruction. If she had just jumped into the water when the games started or stood still on a pedestal and waited for the end then it would have all been okay. If she jumped into the shield like Helia had and sacrificed herself then none of this would be. But it was too late now. Everything that she loved had been harshly ripped from her grasp and no matter how hard she stretched to reach it again she couldn't get it back.

"This is what they did," Faragonda noted, hearing the strangled gasps of the girl at her side. "But you can change it. We can change all of this. The other mentors have returned to their districts, they are waiting to hear what you want to have happen."

"But I don't even know," she shook her head. "I don't know what I want!"

"Yes you do… just think about it." Flora swallowed hard before biting her teeth together.

"I want the District Games gone forever, the reapings, the arena, everything to be destroyed. I want there to be no more Avoxes. I want Helia and any other captives freed. I want all the districts supplies to be shared between one another so no one goes hungry or without shelter," she paused, clenching her fists as the faces of all those who had gone before flashed before her eyes. "And I want the Ancestral Witches dead."

"Then let's make it happen," spoke a voice from behind making Flora look over her shoulder at the young man standing behind her, his shoulder length blonde locks blowing in the breeze. She stood to her feet and looked him in the eye. "Flora this is Sky, our informer… he sided with us just after your win in the first District Games and provided valuable intel about his father's plans for the Quarter Quell."

"You sent the pocket watch," Flora realised and he nodded silently, before bowing his head and then lifting his blue eyes to look into her own. An airship flew overhead suddenly, its under-blades chopping the air.

"Run!" Sky commanded, pulling Flora's hand through the main doors with Faragonda following closely behind. They raced down the stairs just in time to hear a huge bang. Rolling down the stairs as fire billowed from above, the top half of the castle started its decent.

Sky scrambled to his feet and pushed Flora out of the way of a falling beam as Faragonda used a shield on another large chunk of rock debris to let them pass underneath. They made it into the main dining hall and Flora couldn't help but admire its beautiful paintings and tapestries. The floor was bare but still held and enormous amount of power. Her star gazing stopped the moment another two ships, on both sides of the room, fired through the windows.

Two massive magic blasts ripped through the external walls with another shuddering boom that shook the floor and, when a piece of it broke completely, the three of them crash landed onto the floor below.

Faragonda got onto her knees when Flora and Sky helped her the rest of the way up and they aimed for the basement. Hurrying down the winding staircases as quickly as they could before the air around them cooled, they found themselves at just one of the many entrances to the underground labyrinth. Knocking on the door a panel opened and Sky scanned his iris. It scanned the corridor and then let the three of them in before it sealed shut and, for the first time since she had first come into this underground den of survivors, she saw the entire inner workings of the kingdom.

Hundreds of tunnels and tube systems lead to buildings encased with shields to prevent any rubble from falling above. Another distant boom sounded from above, shaking the earth and releasing dust from above onto the pathways below but no one seemed to notice. They moved from one position to another, some pulling carts with rock, others storing food inside the largest storage facility she had ever seen. There was a greenhouse full of various plants, herbs and species of animal that had managed to survive or were used for the sole purpose of meat. Cats and dogs were looked after by children for the pure sake of giving them something to fill their days, and the forever white glow of the hospital wasn't the only part covered in its brightness.

Walking to the right they boarded an elevator which took them down to another seven levels to the 'ground floor' and below that were at least twenty others, each one serving a specific purpose. Ground floor was where most cargo was moved, below that were the storage sheds, plants and facilities. Below that was the main meeting hall designed large enough for all residents. Then the dining hall where there were two sittings, early dinner, usually reserved for the elderly and for young families, the second sitting later in the evening for soldiers. The hospital was below that before three floors of training facilities for the army. Another level down was the airships that they had managed to create using scraps of others that crash landed during the first war, weapons and siege machines were housed so far below that Flora wondered how they managed to get back to the surface, but Sky quickly explained they had a way for everything to function.

The next ten levels were all various apartments for residents to sleep in and then they reached the bunker, the lowest part of the kingdom where all residents would evacuate should any of the previous 'top' floors be damaged.

It was a marvel to say the least and once the elevator stopped inside the bunker Sky opened the doors and lead the pair down the corridor to another room. He opened the door by its handle and Flora smiled.

Anagan walked to her first and took her into his arms. "So you finally decided to join us," he joked as Flora looked at the surrounding screen TV's. On them were the other eleven districts and their representatives.

"Flora, may I introduce your tactical response team leaders," Sky said rather diplomatically before standing up tall.

_District 1 – Erakleon – Roy_

A young man stood confidently before the screen, his upper arms showing his true muscular build and strength. His blonde hair stood upright above his darker coloured skin and he seemed confident and controlled. "It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

_District 2 – Solaria – Bartelbey_

Bartelbey was a proper gentleman. He wore a cream coloured suit and a monocle over one eye, its golden chain attached to his jacket pocket. Flora noticed the way that he bowed slightly and how his long white ponytail jostled slightly as he did so. "At your service."

_District 3 – Andros – Nereus_

The coral behind the young prince shone beautifully with the light from above and made the young man's light purple hair shine with delight. Somehow, even amongst the danger and darkness of the world, this one gem had still managed to be saved. Nereus held his right hand to his left shoulder and he bowed slightly in the water. "Where you go I will follow."

_District 4 – Quantum – Lucy_

Flora's face immediately lit up as Lucy smiled and waved at the camera. She had bags under her eyes and looked paler than usual but Flora was glad to see that she was still doing okay. The two didn't know what to say to one another but words weren't necessary, their eyes said it all. The ghosted tears that appeared in Lucy's spoke volumes. Flora hadn't thought about what effect her death would have on those around her before, she believed honestly that if she had just conceded defeat and died inside the arena that it would have been better for everyone. But when she saw the happiness written in the young witches features it truly made her wonder whether she had the ability to lead everyone to victory, to a new life. "We can do this," Lucy smiled, holding up the slingshot that Riven had made for her best friend Mirta.

_District 5 – Downland – Maia_

Maia was a tall, thin but tanned woman. She didn't look the same as others that usually came from Downland and were paler than a sheet of paper. Instead she was tanned a deeper shade of brown and her eyes were wide and full of wisdom and wonder. Flora suspected that she may have been a previous victor, or some form of elder within the community. As Sky explained she had actually grown up alone on Pyros and remained underground to avoid suspicion while she snuck her fellow Downlandian friend's food and water. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Flora."

_District 6 – Gaien – Zarathustra_

Zarathustra was a previous victor. She was pale and her bob dark blue hair emphasised just how luminous her skin truly was. She didn't look too old but Flora reasoned that the emotional scars aged you more than any form of external appearance. She nodded her head seriously rather than using words and Flora did the same in return.

_District 7 – Melody – Du Four_

"It's nice to see you again," Du Four greeted and Flora smiled. She and Helia had been well acquainted with the melodian victor in their victors visit. She peered through her glasses and Flora saw just how exhausted she appeared, but she supposed that the preparations were already in full swing and, with each district waiting on a definite action plan, there was nothing they could do but sit tight and wait for command. "Melody is waiting for your response," she explained simply before Sky continued the introductions.

_District 8 – Whisperia – Aurora (Ice Fairy)_

The young woman onscreen reminded Flora a lot of Icy, not just because of her piercing blue eyes but because of her eye-shadow and generally pale complexion. She was an imposing fairy even though she was small in stature. Her blonde hair sat on her shoulders and she raised her head in inclination, knowing that Whisperia's past was a difficult one for the other districts to understand. If she hadn't already been killed, Flora half expected to see Griffin standing there in her place.

_District 9 – Zenith – Babatea_

An older woman that oozed intelligence. Her hair was curled strongly like wire and she sat straight backed and looked through her glasses. Flora wasn't sure whether she was a previous victor or not but had a feeling that like Ophelia, Glenn and the others who had come from the realm, she would be an invaluable asset.

_District 10 – Earth – Diana_

Diana, the strong willed earth fairy didn't offer any form of recognition to Flora and she didn't expect it, after all, all of her experiences with tributes from earth hadn't exactly been pleasant ones or ones that were long lived.

_District 11 – Rythum – Rio_

He was a young man who reminded Flora of Anagan though without the beard and longer hair. Rio's hair stood on end and he looked like a rap artist though was clearly a drummer judging by the drum kit sitting behind him on camera. His eyes were a piercing dark brown that almost looked black and he smiled ever so slightly to acknowledge her presence. It was a bittersweet reply but spoke volumes, 'district eleven will always support you.'

_District 12 – Linphea – Faragonda_

"Faragonda has been taking your place until you were well enough to join us officially," Sky explained before her mentor approached and placed a hand against her shoulder.

"But it's your turn to take up your post now, Flora. It's your turn to help lead your people into the future you want," Faragonda explained and Flora nodded, making the older woman release her grasp and take a step back near Anagan by the door.

_District 13 – Domino – Oritel_

At that moment another man walked through the door, his stubbled beard surrounding his mouth and crop of dark magenta hair upon his head. He strode in with confidence before holding his hand forwards and Flora took it firmly, giving it a shake. "Flora, this is Oritel, the District Thirteen leader and its previous king," Sky explained before turning to everyone to start the proceedings, Oritel taking a seat on the other side of the room while Flora was lead to another vacant seat where she could see all eleven screens at once.

"I feel that in light of our recent addition to the team we must discuss our base principles," Sky announced before opening an older text on the table to the front pages. Written inside was the original agreement between the districts when they first rebelled, unsuccessfully, against Magix. "Each of the representatives here have been selected by those who wish to rebel inside their respective districts. In order to decide the fate of Magix, and the nature of the attack, all thirteen districts must agree to combine their forces, food, supplies, military machines and other essentials together. All thirteen district members must reach a consensus relating to specific battle elements and plans and each district representative is responsible for keeping their citizens quietly informed of our plans."

Flora had no idea how grand a scale this assault would be. She knew that they needed to fight and retain their freedom, but she had no idea of the enormity of it all, and the weight started pressing on her shoulders. Millions of people's lives would be risked in the pursuit of an idea, but one that Flora knew had to occur. She might have fought against it for so long but Faragonda was right, now wasn't the time for complacency, it was the time for action.

"Today's meeting will be to get the rebellion wheels in motion," Sky continued, lifting his head from the original manuscript. "Are we ready for rebellion?"

Silence filled the room and not a person answered until Flora felt something pressing her to the be the first. "Yes," she spoke confidently, earning the attention of everyone in the room.

"Yes," Du Four followed, she'd seen far too much chaos and injustice in her lifetime to let it continue any longer.

"Yes," Lucy answered, her hand clutching the slingshot ever tighter in her grasp and soon the others followed. One by one, each member agreed until it came down to Oritel. His decision weighed heavier than the others because his kingdom had already fallen after the previous attack. They had been lucky enough to survive, and create a place for them to call home, but what would happen this time? Would they be completely wiped out from history forever?

Finally he lifted his head after looking down to a small locket held between his fingertips.

"Yes," he agreed and Sky recorded their responses and the time and date in their log for confirmation.

"Then let the rebellion begin."

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**A/N: Please review and let me know if I should continue.**


	2. World On Her Shoulders

**A/N Thanks everyone who reviewed the prologue :)**

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**Chapter 1**

_**World on Her Shoulders**_

Flora sat silently in her room, her engagement ring between her fingertips, contemplating what might be happening to Helia right this very moment. Some said that no news was good news, which she supposed was true in some regard, but in others it surely wasn't. She wanted to know if he was alright, wanted to see his face, wanted to see him smile, just so that she knew that he really was alive.

She replayed that moment in the arena, the moment just before the lightning struck the Tree of Life, when she saw Helia standing there with a smile on his face, the first genuine one she had seen since they entered. It told her that everything was going to be okay, that they had made it. But then she heard Icy's command and watched his smile disappear. She could feel her hand reaching towards his as his started to reach for hers and then… nothing. He was gone.

They had both been through so much together since they first met and their relationship had been one born from tragic circumstances. When he got onto his knee and proposed to her after they had won in their last games and had made it through the Victory Tour, she thought that was it. She honestly believed that their lives would remain entwined together until the way they died. That if they could survive all they had before that they could do it again now.

But she should have known the Ancestral Witches wouldn't be that kind, in fact, it seemed like the entire Magical Dimension was against her happiness. She'd played their game, had won with Helia and given them a victor, been paraded around from district to district like some walking, talking puppet and visited every relative or friend that they wanted her to, and still they needed to throw her into it again.

Back in the arena, with previous victors, surely that should have meant her death. But, the 'powers that be' had a very different idea. Sure she had given the districts hope but she didn't have any left for herself. All of her hope, her freedom, her future, laid with Helia, the man that she loved more than anything else in the world. The man who could have been dead for all she knew, badly beaten and tortured for her. And what was she doing in return for his sacrifices? Sitting miles below the earth in District Thirteen, twiddling his ring between her fingers.

Taking it firmly in her right hand she threw it to the other side of the room where it hit the wall with a bang and rolled across the floor. Bringing her knees to her chest, Flora leant against the wall with her back her forehead resting atop of arms as tears threatened to fall once more. Helia was in trouble because of her, because of what she did inside the first games, because of what she did inside the training centre, her explosion of the Mirta replica, her show of defiance.

The door opened just as two drops of salty tears slid silently down her face and landed on her knees. Miele stepped inside, a saddened expression written on her features as she closed the door behind her softly. It clicked shut and she looked to the ring lying on the floor, and then to her sister who hadn't moved from her position. She couldn't see her eyes but heard her stifled sobs. She bent down and picked up the gold symbol between her fingers before quietly crawling onto the bed and sitting next to her. She leant her head against her sister's shoulder and didn't say a word.

The two did nothing, said nothing, just sought comfort from one another until Miele hummed a melody. The lower hum slowly rose four notes before hovering over the first two and descending again.

Flora recognised it instantly.

She lifted her face from her knees and turned to Miele who stopped humming and took a breath. "Just close your eyes, the sun is going down," she sang and Flora licked her lips before following.

"You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now."

Miele smiled before the two sang together, "come morning light, you and I will be safe and sound."

"You miss him, don't you?" Miele asked, the answer being obvious. It was so obvious that she answered it herself. "I know you do."

Flora nodded, her throat constricted and she blinked away the new tears that wanted to fall. "He… he always knew what to do. Without him, I don't know what… what I'm supposed to do."

"Yes you do," Miele answered, catching her older sister slightly off guard. "You do what you've always done, you fight."

"It's more complicated than that, Miele."

"It doesn't have to be," she answered. "You're stronger than you were before, you've changed since you first went into the arena - you're not the girl you were when you volunteered to save me."

"That's true."

"Then you should know what to do. Keep on fighting. You promised me that you'd try and win, that you'd do what you had to do get home because I didn't want to lose you. But now I'm not the only one you have to protect." Flora looked Miele in the eye, her eyes drifting to the engagement ring held in her tiny fingers. She held it forwards and tilted her head towards Flora's left hand.

Flora shifted and obliged by handing it to her and Miele slid the ring into its proper position on her ring finger. Flora took Miele's hand in her own and smiled, her nose sniffling in the process before she bit hard on her back teeth to stop herself from choking up again. "You can do this," she reiterated, "you have so many other people that want to fight with you so you aren't alone and neither is Helia." Flora nodded before taking Miele into her arms and giving her a long and warm embrace. Miele's hands wrapped around her older sisters body, satisfied that she had said the right thing and provided the right words of comfort.

"Thank you," Flora whispered into her ear before there was a knock on the door and Faragonda stepped inside.

Miele leant away as Flora wiped the tear tracks from her eyes and blinked the remaining ones into submission. "The committee is asking for you to join them." Flora nodded and stood to her feet, following Faragonda out the door. But before she stepped beyond the threshold she turned to Miele whose smile beamed. She held her left hand into the air and closed it into a fist and Miele did the same before she entered the hallway to start her first official day of rebellion.

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"Today's meeting is to address the hostage situation of Icy from District Six and Helia from District Twelve." Flora lifted her head and saw the two of their photos displayed on another television on the back wall. "Icy of District Six was taken from the games soon after Helia was, we believe that they had tried to go straight for Flora but ended up deciding to take him instead. Both Helia and Icy are valuable assets with a set of skills we need. Icy's particular abilities and magic will prove useful to us and Helia's social standing and relationship with Flora does win over the districts."

"But that could also be what kills him," Oritel noted, ever the optimist. Flora shot him a look from her position at the table but he didn't seem fazed by it. Sky cleared his throat and acknowledged the District Thirteen representative.

"That is correct, it may be what saves or puts him into more danger. But the purpose of today is to decide, officially, our course of action."

"What are the options?" Asked Nereus from Andros.

"We have two." Sky answered. "The first is a recognisance mission to Magix, we send a team of professionals into the field to locate and return both Icy and Helia to us here in District Thirteen."

"But isn't that dangerous!" Oritel yelled. "To just lead them straight to our location, not to mention how many resources we would waste and for what, this young woman's boyfriend."

"Fiancé!" Flora snapped, standing to her feet and slamming her fists on the table. "And Sky is right; he holds importance to our cause, not just to me."

"Don't be foolish," Oritel replied, stroking his beard calmly, "the only reason that he is useful to the cause is because of his relationship with you. If he hadn't proposed then they probably wouldn't have taken him in the first place."

"We don't know that," Sky interrupted.

"Yes we do." Flora waited for it; half of her struggling to stop herself from leaping over the table to grab this man's neck between her hands. "It's a fact, and the sooner this little drama queen gets it the better!"

"That's enough Oritel!" Faragonda ordered. "Flora, sit down. The last time I checked there were two options and this is not the forum to discuss why they were taken. Life is ten percent of events that happen and ninety percent of how we react to them. 'Why' isn't the question we should be asking it's 'what'. What are we going to do about it?" Oritel crossed his arms and leant back in his chair as Flora took her own seat.

"Our second option," Sky started, taking the opportunity to speak while the moment was ripe, "is a negotiation… a trade."

"And what are the chances of that being successful and in our favour?" Asked Roy from District One.

"By my calculations…" Babatea spoke up from Zenith, checking her figures three times in the space of a few seconds, "about ninety eight percent to them, not a viable option."

"But we do have a third option," Maia added, "do nothing."

"And leave them both to die!" Flora yelled.

"The odds are much better with that option," Babatea replied, noticing the anger written in Flora's eyes the minute she spoke. "I've nothing against Helia or Icy, but if we don't do anything then we retain our resources and we avoid the trade."

"Why can't we do the trade?" Flora asked. "All they want is me, they don't want Icy or Helia, they want me. So why not do the trade?"

"Because they will kill them both before you even get to the ground floor of this complex by elevator," Aurora's dark aura replied. She was frank, to the point and logical. "The worst case scenario, if we do nothing, is a public execution." Flora froze where she sat. Of course, it was always the Ancestresses signature to use the public domain to target and kill so she shouldn't have been so surprised. But to hear the words out loud, that made it a reality, a real possibility.

"They would broadcast it through the districts," Aurora continued, "to show them what happens to rebels, in an attempt to stop people from joining our side and fighting for our cause."

"Are there any other options?" Flora asked but there were none. Sky made a few notes on their book and checked the previous rebellion for information but there was nothing about hostage situations included, the witches killed everyone who stood in their way, so why had they changed their plan and kept these two in particular?

"We need to vote," he announced, "Eeach district representative, state your choice of the three options."

Roy looked to Flora sympathetically before opening his mouth, "three."

"Three," Bartleby followed.

"Three," Nereus answered and Flora's eyes looked to Lucy's screen, hoping that she would see the need to save their lives.

"I'm sorry, Flora," she apologised, obvious pain written in both of her eyes, "but they're right, we can't lose resources and we can't lose you… so I vote for option three."

The door burst open before Flora could do anything else and Alice, a young woman with long dark blue hair raced inside. "Prince Sky, you need to see this. Change the channel." He didn't question her sudden appearance or ask for an apology for interrupting the procedures. The images of Icy and Helia disappeared on screen and Flora's heart stopped beating in her chest.

Helia was alive.

He stood on the stage next to Icy, his face bloody, a cut lip, broken cheek bone and black eye masking his usually perfect complexion. Icy didn't look too good herself. Her eyes were red and a fresh cut above her left eye was still tricking blood down her pallor skin tone.

"Flora, our dear, we hope you are well."

"Away from this pain, this hatred, this hell."

"You're far away I know, somewhere safe and secure."

"Not in these hands or on deaths door."

"Prepare for the worst, but think for the best."

"Forget about me."

"Save yourself, your family."

"I love you more than the moonlights aura."

"I pray you are safe, my dear Flora."

Flora stood to her feet, she recognised those prose, their structure. Although the witches were renowned for their rhyming abilities and speech those weren't their words. Each one had taken a turn to read a line, each line dripping with malice and sarcasm, the way they were not supposed to be read.

"How sweet," spoke the first, "lover boys a little love sick."

"Let's give him something to think about," the second added before a television fell from above and landed on the stage in front of the two of them.

"Play on, play a little trick," the third smirked, "it's your fiancé no doubt."

Flora watched Helia smile slightly. It was the footage taken from the ship that attacked her the moment she set foot above ground. She watched as the missiles flew, watched as they ran and his smile disappeared as quickly as it came. But that wasn't good enough for the witches. One of them hit Helia in the back with a blast that sent him forwards onto his chest. He landed with a thud; his hands tied behind his back prevented him from stopping his fall.

Icy turned on her heel and pulled one foot into the air, high enough for the heel of her boot to scratch one of the witches faces. She was hit with a binding spell that slowly cut her off from any form of oxygen and the three of them watched as her face turned several different shades. Carefully Helia got to his feet but when he charged they hit him with another blast, sending him to the floor where they knocked him unconscious.

Just as Icy was about to stop breathing entirely they released her and she fell to the wood with a bang. Flora turned away, her eyes unable to behold such a sight. "The ball is in your corner."

"We promise not to lie."

"Surrender yourself, Flora," the first spoke, all three of them floating before the broadcast turned to the two unconscious victors on the stage, "or prepare to watch them die."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review**


	3. Face of Rebellion

**A/N Thanks for the reviews :) I've realised that this stories following has greatly decreased since the first and second fics but want to especially thank those who are still here. You are the best and this fic is dedicated to you!**

**If you are here to ask me about The Winx Chronicles III - Secret of the Rose, I currently have major writers block on the fic (and on all my others) but am trying to work through it before I start my studies again when updating time becomes limited. I cannot provide a definite update time but I haven't forgotten about the story.**

**All errors are mine.**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

_**Face of Rebellion**_

"We have to help them!" Flora screamed but Anagan held her back as she sobbed.

"It's too dangerous," spoke Diana. "You have become the face of the rebellion."

"Let me do the trade!" Flora yelled.

"No! You are too valuable to just hand over to them."

"But we have to do something!" She screamed, her body shaking with rage.

"And we will when the time is right," Sky answered calmly and Flora raced forwards with her fist prepared. Anagan quickly grabbed her in his arms again to stop her doing anything stupid while Oritel started laughing from his seat, obviously amused.

"Are we all in agreement?" Sky asked and all the leaders nodded. Flora couldn't take it anymore. She wiggled out of Anagan's arms and burst through the door to escape the uncaring people surrounding her, the people who were deciding her soon-to-be husband's fate. Anagan stepped forwards to follow as the door slammed shut, its metallic echo overpowering Oritel's chuckles as he composed himself.

Faragonda got to the door before him and he stepped back as she exited and walked down the white corridor, her shoes therapeutic thump echoing as she went. "What's your problem?" She asked, finally reaching Flora who had leant her back against the wall and crossed her arms in frustration.

"My problem?" She asked. "What do you think my problem is?!"

"You need to understand-"

"Oh, I understand alright," Flora interrupted. "I understand that twelve districts want to see Icy and Helia burnt at the stake in front of millions. Don't they see that it will damage their campaign, that it will damage everything they want to achieve?"

"You need to be level headed about this," Faragonda explained as Flora started pacing. "You need to

try and step back and look at this objectively."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Flora demanded, holding up her left hand and pointing solidly at the ring. Faragonda didn't know how to reply, or know what she should have said.

"They are just looking out for your interests."

"Why aren't they looking out for his? Why don't they just let me do the trade?"

"Because it will show the people that the rebellion is weak, we can't risk you going in there and not coming back. What Diana said was right, you are the face of the rebellion and you need to start thinking like one."

"I don't know how to," Flora admitted. "All I see is Helia and Icy in danger, all the things that they did for me, the moments that we shared - the battles that we won. I don't see them as some sick form of collateral damage." Tears again threatened to fall from her eyes and she pushed them away, she wasn't going to cry again.

"Helia wouldn't want you to do the trade," Faragonda spoke and it stopped Flora's pacing immediately. She didn't turn to look her mentor in the eye. "The poem that they read, he wrote that, and he told you to forget about him and do what is right."

"Which is what exactly?"

"Put your safety above all else; protect yourself and your family, and people, before anyone else."

"But I love him." Flora turned, a single tear managing to escape the wall she had tried so hard to build.

"I know." Faragonda nodded. "You aren't abandoning them. Until we know more about the situation we need to sit tight and wait."

"I'm afraid as much as you wish to deny them what is true you need to follow orders, Flora." Flora turned to see a woman standing behind her. She wasn't like any other magical being she had seen before. She was light blue from head to toe and was very tall. Flora wondered how she managed to move around District Thirteen's narrow corridors without knocking herself unconscious at every bend.

"My name is Arcadia," she introduced, extending her hand. Flora shook it and tried to offer a genuine smile. There was something so calming about the being before her, she seemed so in control and level headed, though chaos surrounded them each and every waking moment. "I am the rebellions head of command, all district leaders follow my requests and are facilitated by Prince Sky," she paused, "and you need to get back in that room."

Flora didn't move at first.

"Will you give us a moment, Faragonda?" she requested and the mentor nodded before walking back into the bunker. When the door closed Arcadia took a seat on the floor and ushered Flora to do the same. Slightly confused at the request she did as she was told.

"Would you like to remove your responsibilities?" Arcadia asked and Flora's expression must have given the leader enough information to reply. "But that I mean, do you want to pass on your responsibility as District Twelve's representative to Faragonda?"

Flora opened her mouth to respond but instead found herself shaking her head.

"Then you need to demonstrate to me that you can do this, and do this properly. I need all the leaders of the districts working in harmony together to accomplish our goals. And, sometimes, that means making some very difficult decisions. I need to know that you can handle it."

"I can," Flora answered, "I'm just overwhelmed by it all and… and I don't want to lose him."

"We don't want to either," Arcadia replied, earning her a more than perplexed response from Flora. She smiled a little at her confusion. "Do you honestly believe that we want to see him hit the dust before his time?"

"Oritel certainly does." Flora meant for it to be a thought, but it passed her lips and she cupped her hands to cover them as soon as it escaped. "I'm sorry," she apologised.

"Don't be, Oritel has a lot of baggage to carry in his personal life. But he is dedicated to our cause, regardless of what you may believe." Flora nodded with understanding before Arcadia stood to her feet and offered Flora her hand. "Are you ready to go back?" The nature fairy reached up and took a hold of her hand to back to her feet.

Arcadia marched forwards and she followed closely, not really wanting to return to the room that she had marred with her misunderstanding. Everything was so black and white in her decision about what was good and evil. Helia was good, the witches were evil, so they should do everything in their power to save him. At least it sounded simple, but little did Flora understand that the other districts were making their preparations, were getting themselves ready for a fight much bigger than just that of three individual beings. Districts would battle until the death against Magix, lives would be lost, and the resources they had needed to be saved to avoid a cataclysmic loss.

The events of the past could not repeat themselves again, they weren't going to let that happen.

* * *

Flora forced herself to swallow her fear and walk inside. She looked to Oritel who didn't acknowledge her return, partly puzzled at exactly what 'personal circumstances' he was contending with. She knew better to ask but couldn't stand the way he treated her like a ten year old girl who didn't know a thing about the world. After all, she had survived the arena… twice.

"So, what is the plan?" Arcadia asked and Sky turned and bowed, those on the screens inclined their heads.

"We are ready to begin the distribution of our weapons to the other districts. Although we are ready to begin, I'm afraid it could also mean we will be prime targets for assault by Magix." Lucy spoke.

"That is true," Sky noted and the others agreed.

"So what is to be done about it?" Arcadia asked.

"We could go there," Anagan suggested, looking to Flora. "Perhaps a ground look will help the both of us decide which weapons need to be where. It might be good to get outside these walls."

"Yes but you'd need to be careful." Lucy explained. "Some of our community members are still undecided about the raids. They believe that we should bow to the witches' demands. I'm afraid that if they get any more agitated we may have upheaval from those within our own district."

"Perhaps they need to see their spark of hope once more," Arcadia decided. "Flora, escorted by Anagan, will travel into the area in order to survey the damage and to try and sway those who are causing the conflict."

"Are you sure that is a good idea?" Asked Maia, stealing the question right from Flora's head. "After the attack that occurred just this morning when Flora showed her face overhead-"

"It might not be the safest solution," Arcadia interrupted, "but we cannot just sit around and wait for this to occur. If Quantum has issues with its weapons then we have problems with our rebellion and that is unacceptable."

"How much of a difference will it really make?" Oritel spoke up, earning everyone's attention. "I mean what could she possibly do to cool down their political tensions?"

"Might I remind you, Oritel, that 'she' is Flora, a previous winner of the district games and our face of rebellion. Her action of volunteering to save her sister and of fighting against all odds to survive with the one she loved sparked a hope inside people's hearts that they haven't had before," Arcadia answered but Oritel scoffed it away and leant further back in his seat, looking away. The tall woman didn't hold herself back. "Though your hopeful spark might have been dowsed out with the first rebellions failure, it does not mean that the same thing should happen to others."

Daggers flew between Oritel's eyes and Flora's though neither said a word. "Lucy," Sky spoke, interrupting the tense silence. "We will be sending some ships your way, prepare what cargo you can into crates and Flora and Anagan will decide which weapons are sent where." She nodded. "This meeting is dismissed, thank you everyone."

The screens darkened and Oritel groaned as he got to his feet and made for the door, passing Faragonda, Anagan, Sky, Arcadia and Flora. "I have some other duties to attend to, welcome to the team, Flora," Arcadia smiled before following him out the door. Sky gathered up their books and quickly followed, muttering something about having to ask her a serious question before she disappeared into her office.

"What is that guy's problem?" Anagan asked and Flora looked between the two. She knew what it was, everyone else in the room did, well most of the older ones certainly did.

"Arcadia mentioned something about personal circumstances," Flora answered before noticing the way Faragonda turned and started busying herself in files and papers. "You know what it is, don't you?"

Anagan's eyes trained on the mentor who turned and shook her head. "It's not my place to say anything."

"Why not?" The courageous young man questioned. "After the serve he's been giving everyone lately-"

"It is still not my place to say anything." Faragonda persisted. "How would you like it if I told the world something that you didn't want to become public knowledge?"

"Everything we have done since we won the games has been public knowledge," Anagan replied, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"Please tell us, I normally wouldn't pry, I know better than to ask difficult questions-"

"Then demonstrate that now." The older mentor picked up a pile of folders. "Although I know Oritel can be a jerk, that doesn't mean I have the right to air his life story to the both of you and you should respect his privacy."

"Like he respected mine," Flora retorted making Faragonda's eye brow rose this time. "He's been giving me hell since I first arrived, what the hell does he know about love?"

"Quite a lot actually." She didn't want to continue, didn't want to tell them the truth, but neither of them were budging without an answer and she knew that she needed to offer some sort of explanation. She had always been honest with Flora, well, most of the time, and her main job as a mentor for the games was to gather information by whatever means necessary in order to offer them a fighting chance. Though this situation wasn't life and death, she supposed it wouldn't have hurt all too much to tell them a short version of the truth. After all, it may well become life or death if Oritel said the wrong thing and the two ended up in a fist fight.

"I'm only going to say this once so listen carefully, and it is all the information you are going to get from me, understood?" Both of them nodded enthusiastically. "During the last rebellion, when District Thirteen was destroyed, Oritel's wife and two young children died." Flora's lips parted slightly and her eyes looked to the floor. "So he does, in fact, know a lot about love, loss and about what consequences a failed rebellion can bring. Don't disregard his opinion entirely because he struggles to get it across without sounding pig-headed. He knows what he's talking about." And with those sentiments, Faragonda turned on her heel and exited the room, leaving the two of them slightly agape. It definitely made more sense now.

* * *

"We better get ready to visit Quantum," Anagan smiled and Flora nodded before walking out of the room towards the elevator where they encountered a wall worth of buttons to various places. A small screen suddenly illuminated above the panel and they looked to Sky. "Anagan and Flora, please proceed to the Armoury on level B8 before returning to your rooms. Your final departure time will be 9PM." The two nodded before Anagan pressed the right level and they skyrocketed up another forty storeys until they made it to the weapons facility.

Their jaws dropped when they saw how many suits and swords they already had, but at least half of the massive storage level was empty and shone a blazing white from the lights above.

"Hey," spoke someone to their right and they turned to see a tall young man with a very thin build. His hot- pink mohawk danced as he made his way over and shook their hands. "Welcome to the armoury!" His hands extended to his sides and his voice echoed off the walls. "Sky told me you would be on your way so let's see if we can find you something awesome to use." He raced ahead to the far wall and, with a shrug of their shoulders, the two followed him.

"These are our combat suits, black for military usage of course, but they include protective pads where you need them and a balancing belt for stabilising. They are pretty skin tight but breathe well." Anagan reached forward to touch one of them and the bizarre looking man snapped his fingers away with his own. "No touching, let me look at you." Both of them stood still and he quickly removed two suits from the rack. "These should be your size," he smiled before bending down and picking up a pair of shoes for each of them, matching it only by sight before turning on his heel and walking towards a rack covered with every kind of weapon they had seen in the arena.

"Wow," Flora gasped.

"Impressive right, this is our ultimate collection of weaponry. Of course we have District Four making some more stuff for us which will end up filling the rest of our floor space but this is your selection so make your pick."

"Anything?" Flora asked, eyeing a particularly fetching golden bow further up the wall.

"Anything, it's all yours."

Anagan took a step forwards and selected two hand crossbow gauntlets equipped with large golden spikes. The rest of it was black and the feathers on his reloads were the same beautiful carat colour.

"Why all the gold?"

"Flora's pin," their escourt answered, "our shining light in the darkness. Personally I think it's a lovely touch, makes those who use the weapons menacing and helps us to identify the difference between who is fighting with us and who is fighting against us."

"That makes sense."

"And what would the lady like to take as her prize?" Flora couldn't help but gaze at the beautifully crafted bow above, making the amorist smile. "An excellent choice." He took a step back and flapped both of his arms before twisting them around his body, causing him to transform into a black bird.

Flora shielded her ears unintentionally, her memories of her last encounter with any black flying creature still fresh in her mind, her ears still bore the scars and her dreams echoed with their calls. He flew up to the bow and caught it between his claws before bringing it low where Anagan took it into his grasp. With three quick bursts he was back up to retrieve a full quiver of twenty arrows.

Upon landing he returning to his usual form.

"A shape shifter, haven't seen one of them for a long time," Anagan commented, earning him a smile.

"We are a dime a dozen, my name is Duman, the last shape shifter in District Thirteen and, possibly, the rest of the magical dimension. I apologise for my appearance, I'm not quite myself after spending so much time cooped up and locked away in this cavern."

"You look remarkably young," Anagan noted and Flora couldn't help but agree. Along with his tall pink mohawk hairstyle he didn't look a day over twenty when District Thirteen had been in hiding for twenty five years.

"Another part of being a shape shifter, it ages us slower than most magical beings but enough about me. You need to get yourselves dressed and ready to go. Sky has instructed me to tell you to head back to your rooms to get dressed and then to head to the transportation room located on level B1."

"Thanks Duman."

"Not a worry, and don't forget Flora, no matter what you think, we are all here for you."

* * *

"I shouldn't be gone too long, a day at the most," Flora explained as Lily helped her get into her armoured attire. It was surprisingly comfortable for something containing various pieces of metal in sharp jagged places. "So try not to worry too much."

"I will if you will," Lily answered, zipping the suit up the back and making Flora turn. "Don't look at me like that, I know you are worried, you're shaking like a leaf."

"It's only because the last time I went above surface I was almost blown to pieces."

"Everything will be fine, Anagan is there with you and your only deciding on where the weapons should go, not actually leading the charge."

"I guess so." Lily smiled before leaning in and kissing her daughter on the cheek. Her arms held her tightly against her chest and felt the bumps and crevasses of armour on her back. "I'm proud of you, you know that, right?"

"I do," Flora answered when Miele opened the door. "Hurry, Flora or you'll be late."

* * *

Standing inside the elevator and watching the numbers slowly descend was terrifying. She knew they would be passing several levels from her room on floor B52 all the way to B1. It took only moments for them to reach the right level and she stepped out into the brightly lit room to see Anagan ready to go. Before them were about ten tubes, each silver lined but made of glass.

"Welcome Flora," spoke a young woman to her right, she turned to see Alice standing there, the girl who had told them to change the television channel back in their meeting. "Please step into tube number two please."

She did as instructed while Anagan stepped into tube number one. The doors slid closed.

"Can you both hear me?" She questioned through the speaker system and they both nodded. "I need to do a few simple tests before we get underway."

Anagan released a sigh, he hated tests and, most of all, hated waiting. His fists clenched over his gauntlets and he looked down to check that the spikes were sharp enough before looking over to Flora who looked a little more nervous than he did. But she'd remembered her bow and arrows which was a good thing he supposed.

"Alright, I think we're ready to go. Sky asked me to give you an introduction to these facilities since you will be using them quite a lot in future. This facility was created by Ophelia, it's designed to transport matter through time and space to any location we decide. Each travel is catalogued. Though there is no way for us to bring you back, and you were first planned to arrive by airship, Arcadia decided that this might be the best way for you to travel unnoticed than inside one of our ships."

Flora had to agree with that, at least travelling through the world as a particle meant she'd be invisible to the naked eye. "We'd normally have this technology available in all districts but, after the Ancestresses took over, all other transportus stations were destroyed and this is the only one still functioning, after being built from scratch." She paused. "Okay, we're all set, the tubes are designed to only transport what is put into them, rather than the entire facility which could be sucked in if we're not careful. Now, you'll feel a slightly tingling sensation soon, I need to ask you both to keep your hands on your weapons if they aren't already done so." Flora lifted her hands and took a hold of the bows string and her quivers belt.

"Good luck in District Four, have a pleasant transport!"

* * *

**A/N Thanks for reading and please review**


	4. Blood On Her Hands

**A/N: I apologise for the delay everyone but I've been busy working on some art for my DA account and have started a new fan-fiction entitled 'The Shard'. The Winx Chronicles is currently stalled but I am aiming to work on getting the next chapter posted as soon as possible. I haven't forgotten about it so bare with me. **

**Special shout-out goes to my younger brother who was a massive help in making this chapter as good as it could be :)**

**All errors are mine.**

* * *

**Warning: This chapter contains strong violence and blood references. It is not suitable for children thirteen and under, hence the T rating, you have been warned.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_**Blood On Her Hands**_

Flora never appreciated the sun more then when she landed on solid ground in District Four. It felt so warm and beautiful against her skin, which pickled and stood on end as if trying to capture more of its vitamin releasing shine, and she wished she could bottle it and bring it back underground with her in District Thirteen. Of course, the chances of that happening were quite small, and the solar room they had passed on their way to the armoury gave them a hint that they had managed to harvest the natural sun from above the surface, but it still couldn't compete with the real thing.

Anagan tilted his own head back, enjoying the sun's rays that were absorbed by their suits dark exterior. Just as they were ready to head back into the shade Lucy appeared from a nearby warehouse with a beaming smile from ear to ear. She raced forwards and took Flora into her arms and held her tight. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, "but I just couldn't… I couldn't."

"I know," Flora replied, leaning away and looking Lucy in the eye.

"I can't imagine what you must be feeling."

"Arcadia is keeping me distracted." Lucy smiled before extending her hand to Anagan who gave it a firm and definitive shake. "You must be Anagan; it's nice to meet you in person."

"It is, so where do you need us?"

"At our largest storage facility, just follow me." The two walked down the streets, the sound of metal and fire crackling on all sides. Judging by the heat they both guessed that it was a mixture of the brimstone and smelted gold adding to the discomfort. Each of the warehouses they passed were rife with loud noises, whether it was the blacksmiths banging the gold into place, water bubbling as the metal cooled, or laughter and the odd song they sang to keep their spirits up amid a chaotic work schedule.

A small group of young children ran passed them and into a warehouse, delivering lunch packs and water to everyone at regular intervals.

"As you can see we've all been working very hard," Lucy explained, "at the moment about seventy percent of our population are working toward the completion of the effort and most women and children are doing their part by making lunch for the men or delivering the goods. We also have some women working on the hilts of particular blades and wrapping the leather strapping around or adding feathers to the arrows."

"Certainly looks like hard work."

"It is, but they can see the end in sight, they have their hope."

"And what about the others who don't?" Anagan asked and Lucy released a sigh. "I'm afraid they are another problem entirely." She stopped walking and turned to the right where a factory once stood was now missing. "They did that?" Anagan asked, mesmerised by the black debris and stick crosses that marked their positions before the rubble.

Lucy nodded solemnly. "Last week, a few men sighed up to help and we set them to work. They turned the boiler up, drove a tractor that was meant to deliver materials inside and put a match to the fuel tank. The hot water caused the serious burns to the workers inside and the fire was next. Fifteen men, seven women and two children all perished. We were lucky that there weren't more, and those who have been severely burned have been transported back to District Thirteen for medical aid."

"What about those responsible?" Anagan questioned.

"They are being held inside a holding facility on the outskirts of the district. We will trial them for their crimes once the rebellion is won and true order is restored," spoke a man to their left and Flora lifted her gaze to see Caius standing by her side. He didn't look like the same man she had seen on her Victor's Visit, the man who was struggling so much with his grief he could only mutter one word to himself over and over 'why'. This Caius seemed strong, he stood confidently, though his eyes burned with an inner hatred and fire, the inner spark that Arcadia had been talking about.

"Hello, Flora, it is good to see you again." Flora didn't even think he registered her presence the first time but she smiled and nodded all the same. "Welcome, Anagan."

"Sir," he greeted with another handshake before they were lead into a nearby warehouse and lead towards a flight of stairs. The two followed closely behind until the sound of metal banging against metal and water sizzling stopped. Flora turned, a little confused at why they had all stopped their duties and they stood there, staring at her in awe before a massive cheer erupted and their hands clapped against one another in celebration. Some cheered her name and she couldn't help but blush, if not a little, before they were lead down another flight of stairs toward the basement of the warehouse and through another door.

* * *

The stairs slowly descended out of view below ground and Flora wondered why there was this constant fascination with keeping everything below the earth. When they reached the basement, Caius turned on the lights and thousands of prepared weapons shone in their eyes. There were crates full of broadswords, throwing knives, daggers, spears, bows and arrows.

"Wow," Anagan smiled when Lucy's pocket communicator buzzed to catch her attention. She opened it to answer and walked up the stairs to hold the conversation in private. "This is incredible; there must be thousands of weapons here."

"Seven thousand, two hundred and ninety three to be exact," Caius smiled. "The District has been storing them gradually since the last rebellion when they had managed to make more than the desired quota for Magix. But the gold addition meant most of our reserves needed to be made back from scratch." Anagan walked to a crate full of his crossbow gauntlets and he smiled at his own reflection while Flora remained where she stood, an overwhelming feeling of sickness washing over her head.

"You ok?" Caius asked.

"Yeah," she answered, it only being a half truth. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be used to seeing so many weapons that would soon be held by legions of men and women. They'd charge toward Magix with their ships, fight to death with its citizens and soldiers, all in the name for freedom. And yet many of those who were about to fight would fall on their sword and never see the freedom they fought so desperately for. It reminded her of the arena, of that first initial feeling when you honestly, with all your heart and soul, believe that you can win, and then you're face the crushing reality that you won't.

"So, where do you want all of this to go, which District's?" Caius handed Flora a series of roller stickers, each to be stuck on the side of the crate and she walked over to Anagan and passed him some. They both agreed that the two collections of bows and arrows should be split between the combined forces of Twelve and Thirteen while the rest went to District Six, Gaien who were renowned across the dimension for their hunting abilities. The swords were to be split across all districts, but the majority were to be sent to Districts One and Two, that of Erakleon and Solaria. Throwing knives and a variety of far shooting weapons like crossbow gauntlets would be distributed to Zenith while the shields would accompany ground soldiers in each districts assault.

Spears would go to Downland in District Five while tridents would be sent to District Three, Andros. The remaining weapons were to be scattered around the other districts until each one had something to defend themselves with. Axe's would be sent to Rhythm in District Eleven while District Four's own supplies sustained their needs and that of their armies.

Hundreds of other weapons were crafted above ground every day, each with their trademark black and gold appearances, and the true numbers for the rebellion became realised. Each sword was another man or woman in battle, each dagger another weapon on their side, each one another person risking their life for the well being of their districts. Flora prayed that they would not fail.

"Sky just contacted me." Lucy exclaimed as she raced down the stairs and walked to the wall, pressing a series of numbers on a key pad that separated the ground above and lifted a ramp for easy transport. "The ships have just arrived, I've instructed the warehouse men to keep on working and for those who can help to load the ships to do so immediately."

"Excellent, Flora and Anagan have sorted them."

The pair raced up the ramp as two hundred or so men and women ran down with carts and tractors and various ropes were strewn across the cargo to heave it to the surface. The two ran outside into the main street to see them, twelve ships, each one with the district number emblazoned across the front in gold while the rest of the ship had been painted black. "Now we're talking," Anagan smiled as he stepped out of the way of a tractor that was headed toward District Two's ship.

"WE HAVE TO GET THIS DONE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE! THIS IS OUR ONLY WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY. DON'T WASTE IT!" Lucy yelled above the commotion, her voice booming across the buildings and to the workers who all chanted a response and continued their loading.

"Incredible, isn't it," Caius sighed, "the last time we saw the districts working together like this we thought we were heading for a new future."

"We are," Flora answered, "and this time we're not turning back."

"RUN!" Screamed someone from behind, making Flora and the others whip their heads around to see them running frantically in their direction. Two shadows eclipsed the earth below as another two ships raised behind the man, the letters AW emblazoned across the sides in purple, blue and red against the silver craft.

"HURRY THEY'RE HE-"

_Bang!_

A bullet finished his sentence and he fell face first into the dirt.

The ships started firing their rounds while Lucy and Flora created a shield strong enough to stop them. Two fully loaded ships departed allowing the men and women to focus on loading as much cargo as they could onto those remaining.

"ARCHERS!" Lucy screamed, fifty men rose on the rooftops and all aimed their bows toward the cockpit of the ships.

"FIRE!" The golden points pierced the glass and cut through the pilot's chest, making the ship quickly spin out of control.

"LOOK OUT!" Anagan yelled, before running into the backs of Flora and Lucy, pushing them forward with his hands to hit the deck. The ship smashed into the already dead messenger on the ground before bounding and flipping its way down the street, souring over the three of them before smashing into District Five's ship and exploding.

A mixture of intense heat and wind hit their backs and, when they scrambled to their feet, another two ships flew overhead and began to fire.

The warehouse on the far right of the district exploded into flames and another to their left was close behind. The district ships started to take off, some navigating past the blasts and managing to escape. Weapons that didn't make it onto one ship were forced onto another, and those that had just been bought from the warehouses storage facility, were quickly forced back below ground.

Quickly, Anagan picked up Flora by the arm and pulled her to her feet as Lucy pushed them forwards. "We need to get you both to safety!" Lucy screamed, bullets flying through the air behind them. "Ugh." She groaned as a sharp pain hit her back, the screams of fallen archers echoing from above as they fell from the rooftops like raining sacks of flour.

Lucy push herself to continue running as children screamed, their mothers and fathers pulling them to safety. "GET INTO THE UNDERGROUND HANGERS!" She barked and they started for one of their bunkers.

Flora slowed just as Lucy reached the two of them. "They're after you. We need to get you away from the warehouses." Flora's body jerked to the right as Lucy pulled them toward a nearby shop with two hoverbikes nearby. "Get on!" She yelled and a frozen Flora did as she was told. Anagan got onto one while Lucy got onto another, Flora climbing on with her fellow fairy.

The hoverbikes kicked into high gear and raced away from the carnage as quickly as they could toward Mirta and Riven's home on the country outskirts, away from the city, away from danger.

Anagan followed behind as Flora released her hold on Lucy's body and turned herself around, removing her bow and arrow and firing at the ships cockpit. The first arrow missed, the second hit the pilot in the forehead, and the third targeted the co-pilot before his hands could even reach the controls.

Thrusting her hand forwards she released another blast, sending the ship into a sky dive over the paddock with a bang. Lucy turned and stopped the bike; Anagan skidded to a halt beside her. "We did it," Flora smiled but it faded the moment a bright yellow light tore through the sky and hit Mirta and Riven's home on the distant hill top, destroying all of their possessions with it. They looked back and saw another Magix ship flying towards them, two others following it.

"Spoke too soon…what do we do now?" Anagan asked when two smaller ships flew overhead and blasted the larger ones with bullets. They aimed for the windows and managed to snipe two ships into to the ground in a ball of flame. They fired at the next while soldiers started racing towards them from the still billowing wreckage on foot.

"Get off the bike!" Anagan yelled over the bullets flying overhead. Flora got off the bike quickly though Lucy struggled. She stayed frozen on the bike, unable to lift her leg without excruciating pain radiating through her lower back. Flora helped to lift her off and supported her weight with one arm over her shoulders. When she looked down to her right hand she saw it, blood and Lucy gave a sheepish smile. "No," Flora sighed.

Anagan set the bikes motor on full throttle and sent it flying their way. He did the same to the second bike and prepared both gauntlets to fire. Then he watched, and waited before releasing. Placing both of his arms behind his back he swung them forwards and fired, making the arrows curve through the air and aim for the fuel tanks. The arrows pierced the tanks edges and, when the tips touched the spark exploded the bike into hundreds of pieces. He aimed and fired again at the second, hearing the distant screams of men in agony.

Those that remained still ran forwards while Anagan shot them with his crossbow and Lucy and Flora used their free hands to hit the others with their magic. Suddenly, the line of soldiers before them were mowed down by another smaller ship that passed by and landed next to them.

"Hurry up and get in! We have to get you out of here!" Yelled the officer.

"No, we can't just leave!" Flora yelled over the motors incessant noise.

"Yes you can!" Lucy replied, pushing her towards the ship and forcing the slingshot into her hands just as another wave of soldiers start their decent. She looked in the distance to see six other ships all flying away with their supplies, their duty was complete. "Flora, I'm sorry," Lucy apologised.

"For what?" Flora questioned.

"This." Lucy's hands pushed the nature fairy into the departing ship where Anagan forcefully restrained her. The ship slowly rose into the air as Flora tried desperately to get away from Anagan's ever increasing hold on her shoulders. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked down to Lucy, the weakened fairy looking up to them and giving one final smile before she was shot by another blast and crumpled to the grass without a sound.

"NO!" Flora screamed as Anagan let her go and she tried to take a swing. He grasped her wrist with his hand firmly as she slowly slid to the floor of the craft. Her blurred vision focused on her trembling hands and there, sitting between her fingers, was Mirta's slingshot, dripping with Lucy's blood.

And the true rebellion had only just begun.

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**A/N: This stories rating will be increased to be M for Mature content in future for strong violence. I will let you know the chapter before the change so those who do not have the story on alert can search for it accordingly. Thanks for reading and please review :)**

_Response to Anonymous Reviews:_

_Guest (Last Chapter__): _Thanks very much for taking the time to review. It's great to know that there are people out there who have enjoyed the trilogy thus far. I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)


	5. The Fallen

**A/N: Important, please read!**

I was told that the Blood Wars is "the worst fan-fiction ever written" and although I dismissed the comments of said person, for some reason, since they told me that, I have been in a massive slump on The Blood Wars III and although I managed to pull this chapter together I'm not 100% happy. I have put my heart and soul into this trilogy, incorporated the very best of my writing abilities and worked hard to achieve responses from my readers, but The Blood Wars III seems to be the biggest miss of the three stories. The trilogy has gone from being incredibly popular with 138 reviews for my first fic to just 19 at the time of writing this for BW3.

I'm not begging for reviews or asking for a certain number before I post another chapter because I hate people who hold chapters for ransom because of that. I believe that a review is earned from the writer's audience and that the reader should be the one to choose whether it is worth reviewing or not. Though, after working so hard on all three of the stories in this series, I am struggling to see why this story is no longer attracting as many reviews.

Have I done something wrong? Is the story boring and wordy? Are the characters two dimensional? Is it uninteresting? Should I have kept all three stories in the one FanFiction story rather than separating them into three different ones? Or are people just not interested in following the series to an action packed conclusion that I have planned and had in mind from the very first word I wrote to start this series. I don't want to give up on this series and the one thing that stops me from giving up and keeps me writing when I'm feeling low and uninspired to write are my readers.

So, if you are still interested in reading the end of The Blood Wars trilogy, please let me know through a review or PM.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the chapter.

All errors are mine (another late night edit was in order so I apologise in advance)

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**Chapter Four**

_**The Fallen**_

"District Four has fallen," Sky reported, noting the absence of anyone to represent the district on screen. Flora and Anagan both rushed inside.

"We need everything you have sent to Quantum now!" Flora demanded.

"No, it's already too late, the district is beyond saving, its beyond repair."

"No its not, there are still hundreds of people there!"

"We can't waste our resources, they have served their purpose to make weapons for our troops, now we need to use them the way that they should be, to attack and destroy the witches reign over the magical dimension!" Sky snapped.

"They should be used to protect them!" Flora yelled, her grip on the slingshot so tight that her knuckles went white, a startling contrast to the dry and crusty handprint painted against the weapons handle.

"Flora we can't-" Sky's sentence was quickly interrupted by a punch to the jaw, making his feet stagger as Anagan took Flora by the arms and pulled her away. She fought against his restraint as the other district representatives watched from safety behind their screens. "You…you can't just abandon them."

"I'm not abandoning anybody." Sky replied, placing a hand to his jaw. "We have no other choice. We can't risk all of the work we've done thus far for one district when we have ten others that are relying on our guidance."

Flora's shoulders shook Anagan's grasp away before she crossed her arms. The district representatives watched intently, waiting for some sort of response but nothing came. Sky turned to face the screens. "District four has fallen, we are not sure how many people have managed to survive the carnage but we need to continue for them. I have received word that the ships heading for districts one and two have come under heavy fire which tells me one thing," he paused, inhaling a deep breath before lifting his head high. "Our rebellion has officially begun and its presence is being felt inside Magix. We are slowly starting to make progress and although it is only early days into this war I know that we can achieve what we are setting out to do."

"We still have a long way to go," Oritel reasoned, speaking the first words of wisdom Flora had ever heard him speak. His smug grin had seemed to disappear though she could still sense a form of disgust written in his eyes when they made contact with her own.

"We do," Sky acknowledged. "But we have a solid plan in place, we know what we need to do and we knew that it wasn't going to be easy…but nothing worth fighting for ever is."

"What's our next step?" Flora asked. Sky turned to face her.

"While you were in Quantum, the ancestresses sent us another message to try and force our hands." The district seven screen showed the stage once more, Helia and Icy both knelt against its wooden surface, eyes sunken and drawn, bruises marked their skin, crusted blood covered their hands and their cheeks and foreheads where they had been obviously beaten. "You've had enough time," the first spoke, each witch taking a different line.

"And we've received no word."

"Your darlings are not worth a dime."

"So their bodies will be hung by cord."

"You've reached the end."

"Do not rebel."

"You will fall."

"You've asked for hell."

The screen blackened and Flora released a deep breath, the fourth line 'hung by cord' was her worst nightmare come true. The public execution was confirmed. They had been handed their death sentence and Flora had no idea how to respond. She stood silently, feeling the eyes burrowing into her skin as every emotion flowing through her veins was confused with another. She couldn't think straight and the love that she had for Helia masked the hatred she felt for Sky. Icy, the woman who had saved her life, was about to die by her fiancés side and all she could do was watch.

"It's been decreed," Sky spoke, "the two will be hung at noon two days from today."

"What can we do?" Asked Bartleby, the district two representatives, who received odd looks from a few of the conservative leaders. "Is there any way to prevent this from occurring or are we using these two poor people as proxies to take the blame for our cause."

"We are doing no such thing. We are defending the rebellion-"

"But to what end?" Bartelby defended. "Are we really defending the rebellion by presenting the magical dimension with an image of us leaving those who need us the most behind?"

"Statistically speaking though the lives of two people are lesser in importance than the thousands that are serving in our cause," Barbatea explained, checking over the figures in her head but really stating the obvious. "If we must sacrifice a few to save the many then that is what must be done."

"Has anyone just stopped and thought about the opposite?" Anagan asked, earning him the attention of everyone in the room. "Helia and Icy are the only two people, on the rebellions side, who have managed to infiltrate Magix, admittedly not by their own choice. They are our two most valuable assets. They have an insider position; they will know their strongholds, the strength of their security systems. They will know the strength of their army and will have overheard the witches' plans to respond to the rebellion. They have all the intelligence that we need. We have to look beyond figures, beyond percentages and statistics and instead look at what we need to know about Magix's capabilities," he paused, "and if anyone knows those capabilities its Helia and Icy."

"So what are we going to do?" The melodic voice of Arcadia entered the room, making Sky incline his head to greet her. "There is something we could try, there is no guarantee that it will work but it could be our only solution…We get help from somebody on the inside, from people within Magix. We find a way to make contact, to deliver tasks, and on the day of their execution, those who we have managed to rally inside Magix, cause a distraction of some sort with the aim of freeing Helia and Icy."

Silence hung thick in the air, the plan was not full proof or water tight, more questions needed to be answered.

"How do we know that those in Magix are trustworthy?" Questioned Ediltrude from Whisperia.

"Yeah," spoke Nereus, "what is to stop them from running at the last minute and leaving the two of them to die?"

"Never mind that!" Oritel snarled. "How will we even find a way to communicate with them through untraceable means?"

"That is something I can help with." Flora eyes lifted to meet Barbatea's. She had been defiant of their previous plans to rescue the two and was the first to agree with leaving them to die at the ancestress' hands. "I think it's time that Zenith started to play its part. I can organise a wireless secure signal but the biggest question is who will we contact?"

"I think I know a way to find out!" Sky announced, excitedly typing on his keyboard. The screen burst to life, projecting a video file for everyone to see. "This was a rebellion demonstrations footage we retrieved in Magix during the last district games. It was a peaceful protest but perhaps some of the people in this crowd will be our informants."

"You have a problem though," noted Roy, "last time I checked the witches didn't let rebellion slip through their fingers, no matter how peaceful. What is to guarantee that these people are still alive let alone loyal to our cause?"

"This," Sky replied, pressing play. One security camera showed the crowds gathered outside to watch the games and, in the shadows among those cheering and screaming for blood, there were the silent ones. Sky paused the video and put the two side by side, instantly identifying the similarities. "When the arena exploded suddenly, the rest of the crowd seems in awe, they seem scared, terrified and angry that they have not been given the bloodbath that they desire. But those who were protesting during the games still feel the same way at the end. Now it's our job to make them act on it."

"Who do we choose?" Arcadia asked, looking to Flora for guidance. She held a finger to get chest in confusion and the wise woman nodded to reassure her. "You are fresh from the arena, you know how to profile people and identify their skills, determination and their will. Out of those in both images, who has what we need?"

There were seven possible contenders. Seven people who looked as disgusted during the games as they did at the end, who shared a smile when she had shot the arenas barrier and blasted it to oblivion. The difficult decision rested on her shoulders and so did the life of her beloved Helia. There were no guarantees that any of them would work, that any of them would be disgusted enough to take a stand but this was Helia's only chance, and she had to take it.

"Not her." Flora replied, immediately ruling out a woman standing with a child holding her hand. "I won't leave a child motherless." The others waited for another decision before her eyes landed on three young women, all around her age, standing together. Judging by their outward appearance, Flora assumed that they were friends and friendship could work to their advantage. If one didn't want to help but the others did then there was a chance the three could pull themselves together…but it was just that, a chance.

"Who are those three?" Flora asked. Barbatea started checking their records.

"They are three school friends, Sally, Darma and Mitzi, they all grew up together in Magix and attended private colleagues until graduation. At the moment they are between jobs, hosting royal parties and attending galas. Interestingly, Mitzi's father is a great supporter of the games and has sponsored numerous tributes in the past. In the year that you won he had Bishop as his favourite and during the last game he sponsored Valtor."

"So will she remain loyal to the cause or be found out by her father?" Maia asked.

"It's unknown what path she may take but perhaps years of watching her father bet on the lives of others has transformed her to resent the fact and this could be her opportunity to start a new life," Rio noted hopefully. Arcadia lowered her head slightly to look Flora in the eyes.

"Are you sure that these are the three you choose?"

"Yes," Flora nodded. "They are strong, have a motive for acting in our stead and I think that will make them trustworthy."

"How can you be sure?" Sky questioned, making Anagan wonder why he had decided to protest all of a sudden. The plan was his from the start and it was their best chance at saving Helia and Icy, why couldn't he trust Flora to make the correct decision. "How do you know that the moral standing of these three will be enough to make them act for our benefit?"

"Because their background offers us the opportunity to help them, to stop them from becoming as mindless as their parents who pay for the suffering of others and who willingly sponsor tributes to increase the odds."

"But without sponsors then where would you be?" Asked Zarathustra. "Sponsors were what saved your life, saved many of our previous victor's lives including my own."

"I suppose they did, but they also condemned it. Betting on the lives of those in the arena only served to make them targets, to label them as the most able and to make sponsors want to see them fall or triumph. I've made my choice."

"But it's not the right one," Sky returned, making Flora cross her arms. Anger had started to seep into her eyes and she heard a chuckle from Oritel on her left, obviously amused by her sudden frustration. The argument had been going her way; she had selected the lucky few who would work as their informants and the one man who seemed overwhelmingly supportive of the idea. But he was two-faced and fork-tongued, proud to proclaim a valuable idea but bitter and cold to retract its possibility. "Because my father was the game maker, he met with a lot of rich families in Magix and I personally met Mitzi at one of these functions. She is selfish, arrogant and believes in getting whatever she wants no matter what the cost. I've seen her father ask her who she thinks will die in the arena, or who he should sponsor, and be blindly followed her choices. She's manipulative and I will not put Helia and Icy's lives into their hands and neither should you."

"But I'm going to," Flora replied, "and if you have a problem with it then you get pull yourself and your idea out that door and not return. You are supposed to work with us to try and achieve the outcomes of the rebellion, not squander our efforts or offer useless ideas and refuse to follow orders."

"Because you were such a willing participant in all of this!" His remark oozed sarcasm and Flora bit on her back teeth. She marched to his face, Anagan remaining where he stood. She held her hands in the air, the red marks of death ruining the purity of her skin.

"I am!" She declared. "I'm more of a participant than you are, hiding behind your screens and your rules! Each of us are organising attacks in our districts, trying to bring people some form of hope in a world of despair and all you do is bark your orders and demand us to follow your commands! Not anymore." Flora took a step backwards and addressed the representatives. "All of the reasons that Sky just noted about Mitzi as a possible threat to our mission have actually worked in our favour. If she is selfish and arrogant than she is also confident and in control, if she won't let anything stand in her way and we get her on our side than she is the perfect asset. If she has been playing a role within her family circle than she may be able to use that to her advantage and she is exactly the person that we need. She has the skills that we need, the family wealth, the status, the strength and the resilience, and she has the spark that we need to ignite this rebellion.

"If she can do this with her friends then the rebellions presence will be felt strongly in Magix and that could be what we need in the end. I'm asking us to vote. Whoever is in favour of Mitzi, Sally and Darma being contacted to become our informants in Magix to attempt a rescue operation, raise your hands."

Flora's hand rose and she waited in silence.

Du Four's hand rose and Flora smiled to acknowledge her contribution before Barbatea followed, Roy was next and, as if she had imagined it, Oritel was next. The others followed immediately until all hands, including that of Arcadia, had risen in their support turning the odds back in Flora's favour.

"The result is unanimous," Arcadia announced proudly, "Barbatea, start the signal."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review.**


	6. The Tragedy of Love

**A/N: IMPORTANT PLEASE READ**

**This chapter is dedicated to Dragon At Play who was the only reviewer for the previous chapter.**

**I'm not going to lie and say that I'm not disappointed by the lack of response to the last chapter because I am. It's not the numbers of reviews that count but I do value the opinions of my readers and I like to hear what you think. I'm not sure if it's the same for others, but when I write it's because it is something that I love. I put my heart into everything that I write and spend hours at a time trying to work time into my schedule to update as soon as I can and to plan complex ideas and storylines. The reason I started uploading to Fan-Fiction was to get feedback on my work and to improve in my writing abilities, and reviews are the only way for you to tell me how I am doing and what I need to improve on. I'm not a perfect writer, I'm more than happy to admit it, but the only way for me to learn more about my writing is from you. So thank you for taking the time to read this authors note, enjoy the chapter and if you could give me some feedback I'd truly appreciate it.**

**Warning: This chapter contains blood and character death suitable to the T rating.**

**All errors are mine.**

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**Chapter 5**

_**The Darkest Night**_

A yell, it was faint, strangled, choking - as if it had been building in her throat and had only, just now, been granted its desperate release. It was enough to make Helia's eyelids flutter open so he could look to the left, inspecting his partner in crime for signs of distress. He didn't know what she was dreaming about but knew better than to judge. He had woken up screaming more than a few times over the last few weeks and if his hand wasn't throbbing as much as it was to disturb his slumber, then he supposed he would be doing the same. Opening his eyes brought about the nightmarish reality that only his dreams could offer an escape from, and even they weren't cooperating.

Looking at the clouded sky, Helia released a breath, his mind slowly drifting back to the night that everything changed.

* * *

"The stars are so beautiful," Flora beamed, stepping outside the restaurant she and Helia had just spent a beautiful evening enjoying. The night air was warm and her eyes drifted to the sky where she inspected the constellations and suddenly took Helia's hand in hers and raced forwards. Pulled playfully along he didn't resist and after a while she stopped near a tree.

"Look," she pointed and Helia knelt to inspect the tiny cluster closer. They were small blue petals, curled around one another so tightly that they looked like they were spherical in shape. He smiled as they glowed a beautiful blue. "They are moonlight orbs." Flora explained, kneeling next to him. "They're only activated by the moonlight during the season of love, aren't they beautiful?"

"They are but I think I have something better," Helia teased, pulling Flora back to her feet. "Have I told you how much you mean to me?" She nodded as his hand cupped the side of her face and she leaned into his touch. The moonlight bathed the two in a mystical blue, making Helia's eyes sparkle and captivate Flora's heart.

"Tonight was magical," she gushed.

"Well we do live in the Magical Dimension," he joked, earning himself a comedic hit to the chest.

Flora balanced on her tiptoes while Helia supported her waist with her hands.

"I love you," she whispered softly, her arms linking behind his head. Helia closed his eyes and leaned in to steal a kiss when he felt a finger prevent his show of affection. Opening his eyes, slightly bewildered, Flora chuckled, turned on her heel and walked backwards, shaking her hand. "Not so fast, we're not home yet."

Helia laughed the smile on his face seemingly impossible to remove. He loved Flora more than anything; she was his heart, his life, his being. Everything that he hoped to achieve in his future involved her by his side, her hand in his own - his breath synchronised with hers.

And all it took was one moment – one second – for his world to shatter.

Flora was on her knees, eyes withdrawn and body barely staying still. She swayed to her side and Helia raced forwards as quickly as his body could carry him. He skidded to his knees by her side and held her against his body, feeling warm crimson blood seep through his fingertips and the wounds on her back and body that bled to the ground.

"Flora! Flora! No!" Helia cried, lifting his right, bloodied hand to her face. He found her gaze, his vision watery from the tears that were about to fall. "Flora-"

"I…I-I'm o-okay," she stuttered softly, her voice barely audible above the wind.

"Let me get help, I'll go and get some help." He went to leave but her hand stopped him. She placed it against his cheek and he leant into it. "S-stay…w-with me."

Her eyes drifted close. "Don't… you can't l-leave m-m-me."

"It's g-going to be ok."

"No…I can't live without you." His bottom lip quivered, the tears from his eyes streaming like rivers, their salt reflecting under the moonlight that made the blood pouring out of his fiancé's body a dark, almost purplish colour. She used the last of her energy to look her love in his eyes, and somehow the both of them knew the truth, that in that one final moment, she wasn't coming home.

"I love you," she sighed, eyes drifting down but not fully closing.

"I love you!" Helia yelled, cradling her body closer to his own, his teeth chattering against each other and eyes closing with grief. "I love you, I love you, I love you," he muttered over and over until his words would no longer come.

* * *

The hospital corridors were white, a complete contrast to the droplets of red that marred its perfect canvas down the hallway to the emergency room. Another sticky drop fell from Helia's hands to the floor, his suit was covered in it and though nurses had tried to offer him council he turned them away. The love of his life was gone, and talking about it wasn't going to bring her back.

Distant voices filled the corridor, the sounds of confusion filling his muddled mind. He managed to stand to his feet and turn to meet their gazes, instantly widening the moment they saw the blood on his clothes and the bloody handprint against his face, already crusted and dry. They stopped instantly, mouths slightly open, waiting for the answer that he knew he had to give. Forcing his eyes to look to theirs he shook his head.

Bloom was the first to fall, the weight on her shoulders pulling her to the floor where Sky quickly reacted to pull her into his arms. Stella buried her head into Brandon's chest while Layla did the same to Nabu. Tecna wiped the tears from her eyes and found herself holding Musa who was in a similar state, Timmy muttered something about it all being terribly illogical and Riven stepped forwards and placed a hand on Helia's shoulder. "Let me take you home," he whispered and Helia nodded softly, walking through the congregation that parted like the red sea. Normally he would have offered some words of wisdom, words of comfort, but nothing passed his lips.

He was numb from head to toe. And when he stood outside the door to his home with the keys in his hand he found it difficult to move. Musa stood in the background with her arms crossed, tear streaks against her face as Riven approached his side and pried the keys from his fingers. Carefully he unlocked the door and opened it for his friend. His own hardened heart softened and sunk to the bottom of the deepest ocean when he saw the rose petals on the floor guiding from the entrance to their bedroom, the candles that were lit for so long they had been melted down to nothing and a single rose on the table, sitting elegantly in a vase with a note that stated 'yours forever'.

"Are you going to be okay?" Riven asked nervously, knowing full well that it would take a while for anyone to be 'okay' with what happened. Though suicide wasn't something he thought Helia was capable of, during times of great distress anything was possible. Riven didn't know what he would have done if Musa's life had ended the same way.

"Yeah," Helia finally spoke, the first word he managed to utter.

"Are you sure you don't-"

"I need her back!" He snapped, turning on his heel, face full of fury and eyes burning with rage. Bloodied fingers curled into fists. "That's what I need and if you can't give it to me then you should just leave!"

"There was nothing else you could have done," Riven reasoned but Helia shook his head and looked away again.

"You weren't there," he sighed softly. "I just wish this was a dream, I wish that I would just open my eyes and everything would be back to how it was…but that's never going to happen." Musa stepped inside the door before she walked to Helia and placed a hand against his arm.

"If you need anything, and I mean anything, you let us know okay?" Helia didn't snap, he just nodded his head. "There is something you could do actually."

"Anything," Musa replied.

"I need help…picking what Flora should -" He couldn't finish the sentence without new tears forming in his already red and sore eyes but he didn't have to speak another word.

"We'll pick something nice for her, I promise," Musa smiled solemnly, knowing that it didn't meet her eyes no matter how much she wished it would to offer some sliver of comfort. "Do you need any help clearing this?" She looked to the petals and the candles though Helia shook his head.

"No…I'll do it." Musa nodded before Riven stood by her side and placed a comforting hand on the small of her back, with a final goodbye and offer of help, the two left and closed the door behind them, leaving Helia alone inside the house that had become his hell. He walked to the table and picked up the vase before throwing it to the floor where it smashed into pieces. He kicked the walls, broke glasses and finally ended up on the floor, surrounded by memories that whispered in his ears to torture him.

It had all seemed like a dream, until the day of Flora's funeral when he stood over her open casket. He lifted one of her cold, pale hands into his own and held it tight before leaning forward and planting a kiss against her forehead. "I will always love you," he whispered before tribute after moving tribute were given to the crowd who dabbed their tears away with tissues and clung to one another for support. But the pain he felt could not be dabbed away with anything, much less a tissue, and he had no hand to hold, no shoulder to cry on, nobody to truly share the burden with other than himself.

_I love you._

* * *

Blinking the remaining tears into submission, Helia wiped the tracks from his cheeks and turned to the left to see Icy looking at him, her piercing blue eyes staring right into his soul.

"You ok?" she asked and he nodded.

"You?" She nodded.

"We should keep moving…" She stood to her feet and he followed, carefully manoeuvring himself to stand. Once eye to eye neither said a word or made a move.

"I don't know what you might have heard," Icy sighed.

"Nothing," Helia interrupted, catching her a little off guard. "I didn't hear anything…and I don't think you heard anything either."

"Agreed," she nodded before walking ahead, making Helia release another sigh and look to the full moon one last time.

_I love you too._

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**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review.**


	7. Bleeding Wounds

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I think this is probably the most chapters I've ever updated in a week! Too bad that my uni studies also start again this week but let's keep the writing on a roll with chapter six :)**

**All errors are mine (another late edit was in order so I apologise in advance for any errors that I missed).**

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**Chapter 6**

_**Bleeding Wounds**_

Word's couldn't describe it. A hug couldn't comfort it. A breath couldn't release it and a pain killer couldn't mask it. It was as if she had been cut in half by a sword and now stood before the fall. She was still together in one piece but knew the truth of her demise. She didn't move, didn't breathe, didn't think. Her eyes were transfixed on the screen before her, on the carnage and her failure. The lifeless tribute that she had seen Helia destroy before her very eyes in the arena stood triumphantly and had taken his revenge.

Now the love of her life, the man she had sacrificed everything for, the man she had fought to survive for and with from the moment they met together on that ship toward Magix two years ago…was dead.

Not a single district representative knew where to look or what to do. They stared at Flora and she felt their eyes burrowing through her skin and into her soul, a soul that was now broken and non-existent, that had lost its life when Helia had lost his own.

Anagan's hand reached out to touch her shoulder but she slowly turned on her heel and ran out the door, leaving the room in a shocked silence and Sky with a worried expression written in his features.

Her feet pounded against the cold hallways floor tiles, each boom echoing in her ears as her lungs craved fresh air, some time to breathe away from people. She wanted to run to the farthest corners of Linphea's forest and curl into a ball and die. Her hope, her love and her happiness was gone and she knew that she would never be able to regain its warm glow in her life.

Like a candle that once burnt bright the end of her wick had come and her soul was extinguished, its smoke stream still floating in the air away and into nothingness.

The elevator came into sight and she ordered it to the surface, the hot tears leaking down her face went unnoticed as she let them roll and felt the machine blast itself to life and her to the surface. She looked below at the city and saw their stillness. She hundreds of people stop what they were doing and listen to the broadcast and watch the television screens with the same look of horror she held.

When it reached the top level, she raced to the surface door and turned the bars, finding herself stuck.

It didn't move.

She hit her shoulder into its metallic surface and still it refused to open. She kicked it with her feet, punched it with her hands and, eventually, when all her energy was expelled, she leant against it and placed her warm forehead against its surface and sobbed.

Her frame shivered and jolted up and down, her body physically feeling ill to the point of being sick and head dizzy with the news.

_Bang. Bang. Bang._ The shots resounded in her head, she saw Helia hit by the first, and the second, and the third, but he remained standing until the end. She saw his lips mouth to her his love and then watched him pass from this world into the next and a part of her went with him.

"Flora." A voice spoke from behind and she turned to see her mother and sister hurrying to her side. She found the strength to take two steps forwards before falling into their arms. Lily caught the nature fairy and slowly lowered her to the floor where her arms grasped around her back and her cries echoed through the hall.

Miele held her sister from behind while Lily held Flora's head against her shoulder. The strong and independent woman that she had seen Flora become was now nothing but a shell of her former self. Her bravery, her hope, her love and her passion for life had been cruelly peeled away from her body, leaving nothing but a broken, weak and tragedy struck person in her place. Her daughters agonising sobs filled her ears and she found herself struggling to form any words of comfort. She couldn't whisper that it would be alright when their outlook was so bleak, she couldn't whisper sweet nothings in her ear about how it was okay and that they would get through it because she knew, full well, that the pain she now felt in her heart ached more than ever.

After the loss of her husband, she entered a world that she couldn't see herself escaping. She found herself in an abyss, an endless black tunnel, with no bright light at the end. But Flora had stepped up and helped her through it and now she needed to do the same. She needed to be that light for Flora and so she leant her head next to her daughters, placed her cheek against hers until the tears that were there became her own. "I'm here," she whispered softly, tears escaping her eyes. "I'm here."

* * *

Lily's finger turned off the light as she ushered Miele outside the room and closed the door. After four hours huddled together on the floor, Flora fell asleep. She and Anagan moved her to her room and made her comfortable before leaving her to rest.

With the click of the door Lily turned and leant back against its surface, nodding her head to say thanks to Anagan who replied with a soft smile. "I'm sorry about Icy," she spoke and Anagan blinked back his own newly forming tears. He nodded his head to accept her condolences.

Miele's hand reached up and took hers in its soft grasp and Lily returned the gesture. "Helia's not coming home?" Kneeling down to meet Miele's eyes, Lily nodded her head and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Yeah sweetie," she half smiled, "he's not coming home."

"How is she?" Asked a voice to their left and Lily looked up to see Faragonda.

"Miele, how about you go and get something to eat?"

"I'll take her," Anagan volunteered before leading her away.

"She's not good," Lily spoke honestly and Faragonda placed a hand against her shoulder. "I don't know what to do."

"Just be there for her," the older woman answered wisely. "Flora is strong, wise, loyal, and she will get through this."

"I'm not so sure she will." Lily walked further down yet another white hallway before she stopped and turned. "Helia was everything to her, he was the reason she made it through the first and second games. He was the reason that she fought for so long and he was the reason that she fought so hard now to try and get him back…but it didn't work and I know that she'll be blaming herself."

"Maybe she will." Faragonda explained, speaking from personal experience. "Maybe she'll beat herself up about it for a while, maybe she'll remove herself from as many people as she can to forget but you need to cling to her harder. One day she will take up and realise that, as hard as it is, life must go on… and Helia's sacrifices should never be in vain." Lily wiped her eyes and released a breath, her eyes red and stinging. "I think you need a shower and some rest."

"No I need to be with her in case she wakes up."

"It will be hours before she does. I'll watch over her and you can use my room to freshen up. Flora wants to wake up and see her mother strong and supportive, not tired and sore."

"Are you sure?"

"Go." Faragonda inclined her head and Lily nodded her appreciation before doing as she was told.

* * *

Miele pushed her plate away from her and crossed her arms. She wasn't hungry and just wanted to make sure that her sister and her mother were going to be okay. She had always admired Helia and could see the two of them together since the very beginning but knowing that he was dead, that her sister was hurting and that she had no power to stop it, made her feel useless. Why else would her mother send her to get food when she obviously wasn't hungry?

Anagan reached forwards and took a chip off the plate and ate it, making Miele lift her head and look him in the eyes. "What?" He asked, chewing.

"Those are mine!"

"Last time I checked you actually had to be eating the food for it to be yours." He replied, reaching for another. Miele took the bait and pulled the plate back towards her. She lifted a chip and bit on it angrily which made Anagan smile.

"Keep going, you'll need your strength for Flora." His head lifted to the television in the corner of the room, showing Helia and Icy's photographs. Miele followed his eye line and then turned to face him again.

"Was she your friend?" Anagan looked back to the girl who fed another potato chip into her mouth.

"I guess you could call us that, yeah."

"I'm sorry that she died."

"Thanks." he replied softly. "We were friends, used to keep each other company at all the district events and victors meetings. She's an incredible witch."

"But I thought all witches were evil?" Miele looked confused, the stories she was told as a child about warty green skin and long pointy noses filling her mind.

"Not all of them, just the ancestral witches are. They thought that by dividing the magical dimension into twelve districts that they were separating us from one another," he explained, "but really it was the greatest mistake they could make."

"Why?"

"Because instead of us being more divided it brought us together. Witches were no longer labelled as evil, men and women without magic were considered equals and our districts only saw one enemy. Before they faced a group of twelve districts trying to join together into one army, this time, they are facing twelve well organised armies and after what they did today things are only about to escalate one hundred times more."

Miele smiled a little and finished her plate. "Mum and Flora don't talk to me about this stuff, they think I'm too young to understand but I'm not."

"I know," Anagan replied. "They are probably just trying to protect you. In this world, the less you know the better."

"But I want to know, I want to know when we can go home. I hate it here! Living under the earth is boring and why does everything have to be so white?"

"I'm not sure." Anagan laughed. "But I do know that you need to be strong for your sister and your mum, okay? They are going to need someone like you around."

"What about you?" She questioned; eyes wide and beautifully innocent. "You'll need somebody too." A small smile crept its way onto the young man's face.

"Do you think you can handle being my person as well?" Her head nodded enthusiastically before she got up from her seat and held out her hand. He shook it softly and she pulled him to his feet. "It's time to get you to your room," she pouted, pulling him tiredly behind him. "You need some sleep," she added and even he couldn't argue with that.

* * *

Flora's eyes opened the following morning. She looked to her left and saw Faragonda reading an old book. She lifted her head and smiled. "You're awake, good."

"Where's mum?"

"She's resting in my room… but I can get her for you." Her head shook before staring at a spot on the ceiling that she hadn't noticed before.

"Flora, I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she whispered, "you didn't cause this…I did."

"What?" Faragonda asked, taking a seat next to the exhausted fairy on the bed, selectively forgetting any knowledge of the conversation she had with Lily the previous day.

"I didn't listen, the other representatives tried to tell me differently but I didn't and now…now-" Tears appeared in her eyes again and she fought against them filling her already burning red eyes.

"This isn't your fault," Faragonda spoke softly and took her young protégés hand in her own. "The ancestresses were going to assassinate the two of them anyway. Nothing would have stopped them. They had the execution ready to go and were prepared to do it regardless of what happened."

"But I killed three others because…because I thought that it would work and it didn't! Maybe Sky was right; maybe Mitzi wasn't to be trusted!" Her response was bordering on hysterical so Faragonda took the girls face between her hands and held it tight.

"Breathe, Flora, just take a few deep breaths for me, okay?" She nodded before inhaling and exhaling in time with her guardian. After three Faragonda spoke again.

"You did everything that you could and more to save them. The other representatives were ready to give up, to just roll over and let the witches do whatever they wanted, but you didn't and that, Flora, took a lot of guts," she paused. "I know it's hard, but don't blame yourself."

"But if I just-"

"No!" Faragonda snapped. "I won't hear it from you again, understand? You didn't do this, the witches did, and they need to pay for it – for everything that they have done." Flora pulled her head away and she looked to the wall in silence and didn't speak another word.

* * *

Days passed with no sign of any improvement. If she wasn't staring at the ring on her finger or the photographs she held, or the poems that he'd written for her and crying a river, than she was fast asleep in the land of her dreams where Helia was still alive.

Anagan visited once or twice but wasn't met with a glance or a conversation. It was as if she had a veil before her eyes as nothing seemed of particular interest or focus. He'd tell her details about the rebellion plans, joke with her about Miele keeping a close eye on his wellbeing but, again, received no reply.

Faragonda tried to apologise but received nothing in return while Lily tried to make Flora eat and drink and she refused every bite. Although they knew that the five stages of grief were necessary to pass, it didn't stop them from being concerned. There wasn't much that they could do to pull her out of the darkness of her own minds eye and it seemed that all hope was now lost… until Sky decided to pay her a visit.

He took a seat opposite the bed and closed the door, fingers nervously clasping and unclasping themselves as he tried to find the right words. "Flora, I'm sorry." He started, expecting the same responses he had heard from the others when they said the same thing. Instead Flora sat up on the edge of the bed and looked him dead in the eye with a level of rage and fury he had never seen before.

"You should be," she spoke darkly. "But what for I wonder? Could it be the lack of support for district seven, your choice to try and destroy my authority inside the district representatives office, your decree to do nothing to help bring Helia and Icy back or to offer an idea and then retract it immediately like a two faced lying scum bag?!"

"All of it," he answered. "I know that I've made some difficult decisions but I promise that it's been in the best interests for the entire rebellion. As much as Helia and Icy's sacrifice is sad, and a terrible loss to us all, we need to continue."

"Well then do it!" She snapped.

"We need you!" He retaliated. "This rebellion has needed you from the start, we can't continue without you at our side."

"You mean at the side that doesn't seem to care about my opinions while people like Oritel sit there and undermine every choice I make or every emotion I show? No thank you."

"I don't think you understand how dire our circumstances are at the moment. Over the last week while you've been grieving we have had two districts begin questioning whether this is the correct course of action and both they, and all the people within our rebellious armies, need to know that they can have confidence in our effort and that we are fighting for the best interests of our people."

"You didn't exactly show them that did you?" Flora asked. "I asked you to help Quantum and you spat the idea right in my face. I don't blame them for not trusting us, because I certainly don't understand how we can be the leaders of the rebellion and leave our people behind."

"Things have been worse than that," Sky explained, "the witches are using a slurring campaign against us, saying that the rebellion is willing to sacrifice its own to serve its purposes rather than to defend the rights of those who serve for it. They have used the rhyme that they played on camera about the rebellion being greedy as a sign that we are falling by the way side and that this war needs to stop in order to save lives."

Flora stood to her feet and crossed her arms. She tried to think, to look past the grief and Helia to the rebellion at large and for once she saw them. She saw the thousands of men and women who were fighting in their name; saw the victors from the previous games that protected her, saw Helia, Icy, Lucy and the others. She saw the people that they were fighting for, her sister, her mother, Faragonda, all the children and citizens of the magical dimension. Mirta, Musa, she could see them all.

She had vowed to end these games so that Faragonda would never have to escort another tribute again, so that people would never have to suffer for supplies like Musa, or sacrifice themselves to save their siblings like Riven and Galatea. She vowed to stop the ancestral witches reign so that Rose's brothers and sisters could receive medical care more readily, so that there were no more father or motherless families, so that children didn't have to work to keep themselves above water while the districts worked themselves into the ground for Magix's supplies.

And now she needed to act, to defend all that she and Helia stood for.

"What do we need to do?"

"A media address to everyone we can reach that restates who the witches are and the suffering that people have been experiencing. We need to take them off guard by showing a strong and confident Flora who the world recognises as the face of the rebellion and the greatest victor the district games have ever seen. It's time to show them that when you mess with one rebel you mess with all of us and we will not stand down."

"Should I be impressed?" She asked, an eyebrow slightly raised. "One minute you're willing to do nothing and the next your backing me to the hilt?"

"I know that some of my decisions have been misguided in the past, but either way I always supported your decisions. You are not the only one fighting this war but you are our figure head and a familiar face so I'm asking you to do this…if not for me, or the rebellion, than for Helia."

Flora would have been annoyed at the mention of her dead fiancés name. For some reason everyone thought that her actions needed to be done because of Helia and that if they dropped his name into conversation she would say yes. But for once Sky was right. The rebellion needed a strong leader, someone who was able to stick it to the witches and it would work as a good way for her to say everything she had been holding inside and internally rehearsing for the last week.

Flora looked back into the young man's blue eyes. "I'll do it," she declared.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading, please review**


	8. Rallying The Troops

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews :) I have officially started back at my studies full time so updating time will be limited and there will be delays between chapters. However, I will try and get chapter eight up as soon as I can while the writing mojo is flowing for this series.**

**Also, on a side note, The Disease of Death has reached 200 reviews! Thanks everyone.**

**All errors are mine, sorry this chapter is shorter than the previous ones.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

_**Rallying the Troops**_

Flora's knuckles cracked before she lifted her pen again and placed its ball point to the paper. It was difficult to think of how to communicate her anger to the masses in an appropriate way without ranting. Miele approached from behind and hugged her sisters back, making Flora turn to look her in the eyes.

"I thought you'd be checking on Anagan."

"I wanted to check on you," she admitted, "are you okay?"

"Yeah," Flora nodded and smiled a little, her eyes looking to a photograph of her and Helia sitting on the desk. "Yeah, I'm okay but now I need to make sure that the rest of the rebellion is."

"You can do it." Miele encouraged before Flora kissed her on the forehead and she left the room.

* * *

Cameras flew from one side of the room to the other, manned by technicians who were connecting leads and cables while Barbatea oversaw the operation remotely from her district to ensure that their communication passed any of Magix's security systems.

Flora entered the room and was instantly pulled to the side by two women who started working on her hair and make-up while another young man directed her to the changing room where her outfit was prepared and waiting. It all felt a little surreal that the rebellion rested on her shoulders, but, like most things she had experienced recently, she knew there was no time for meaningful reflection.

She entered the change room and saw the outfit, fittingly black from head to toe and decorated with shining metal armour plates, shoulder blade supports, belts and her pin. She hadn't seen it for a while and wondered where it went but there it was, pinned to a supporting strap that crossed her body and clipped to her belt. Her steel capped boots seemed unnecessary as she was only being filmed from the waist up in front of a lectern, but they did make her feel ready to fight anything that came her way.

She took her stand behind it and placed her speech in front, her handwritten notes the best she could write to address every issue Sky had told her about and even more that were yet to come. She prayed that it would be enough to stop the witches questioning but knew that they would find a way around it somehow.

"Are you ready, Flora?" Asked Sky, stepping into their filming centre and checking in with her on stage. "We can take a few minutes if you need it."

"No, I'm ready."

"Okay everyone let's start!" The spotlights remained on but the others turned off and left half the room in darkness. "Barbatea, are you ready?" He asked through a laptop sitting in the corner of the room.

"Yes, my team is ready whenever Flora is."

"Okay, play the promo," Sky ordered and a small screen in front of the camera showed static and then a flash of bright images from battles across the dimension and war before it stated 'an important message from the rebellion.'

The screen cut to Flora and Sky nodded his head, providing her the signal to begin. She stood tall and strong and, after a long deep breath, finally spoke.

"My definition of strength is not being beaten down by life's greatest obstacles but overcoming them with your head held high. Helia and Icy, the two hostages that the ancestral witches kept firmly within their grasp, were killed a week ago in Magix. An attempt to save their lives was met with thousands of bullets, hundreds of soldiers and an unfair advantage. It was also met with unexplainable coincidences. Valtor, a previous victor of the games who no one has ever seen before returned, after being killed by Helia in the arena with his own two hands, and took his revenge. But how is he alive? How did he survive? What are the ancestral witches hiding!

"They are hiding behind a guise, hiding behind the idea that they want this war to end to bring back peace but peace has never existed under their reign! People are starving, struggling to survive from one day to the next! People have had their children ripped from their lives forever because of the district games that they introduced and controlled. I watched, first hand, the sorrow written in the faces of parents and loved ones who had lost everything in that arena and I suffered with those who had no choice of their own fate.

"I watched others give their lives to protect me, watched them make sacrifices in the arena because returning home wasn't something they wanted. Musa, from melody, sacrificed herself because it was a better alternative than returning home to an empty house that echoed with sadness. Riven sacrificed himself to try and save his younger sister Mirta, while Galatea killed herself to be with her brother. Their districts were filled with grief and sadness and their labours for the ancestral witches gain were thrown in their faces.

"For too long the people of the magical dimension have been ruled by demonic, unjustifiable cruelty and now is the time to stop it. Now is to the time for us all to learn the true meaning of strength and raise our heads together as one to beat these witches once and for all and end their reign! No more slavery, no more death, this war will be the last you ever have to face because when we win you will be free!

"Helia and Icy's sacrifices will not have been in vain, the children that were sent to the arena to be slaughtered by one another and the victors that were then sent back will not have fought in vain. We, the rebellion, will conquer any obstacle, will defeat any army, will destroy every last follower of the witches until their history is nothing but ash under our feet." She paused and noticed the energy in the room immediately fill with brimming warmth. She felt the adrenaline coursing through her veins and had never felt more energetic or determined.

"My name is Flora of Linphea. My district was destroyed, my friends were massacred, my family was forced into hiding, the love of my life was murdered, and now I am the face of the rebellion and I will not stop until the witches are nothing but a distant memory. Until our children are finally free of worry and we can begin to repair ourselves for a bright and glorious future, one that we have fought for and earned!"

"For today is the day, and now is the hour, that we will be free and make the odds in our favour!"

The camera turned off as the images of every lost tribute over the last twenty five years of games flashed on screen. It ended on Helia's face, which lingered slightly before fading to black with white text. 'The Rebellion…fighting for freedom'.

The lights turned themselves on and the recording studio was silent until Sky's hands hit one another to start a round of applause. Soon others followed until they all erupted into one loud cacophony of sound and support. They heard screams of triumph from beyond the corridors as crowds in the streets cheered.

Sky approached and walked Flora to an onlooking balcony where she stood and watched the masses below chant her name and punch the air with passion and enthusiasm. She waved back and fought back the tears that started to fill her eyes. She wished Helia was at her side, waving to them below with his hand in hers. But he was gone and the war still had a long way to go.

* * *

"Listen to them," Valtor noted, standing next to one of Cloud Tower's windows and hearing the thousands of supportive cries from below as the broadcast played on the television in their office. "The fool's actually think that they have a chance with those losers."

"All of this is your fault!" Belladonna snapped. "If you had done your job and finished them off then we wouldn't have had to pick up your slack!"

"What happened to the rhyming?" He challenged, watching her eyes narrow. "It's not my fault; you shouldn't have let the two of them win the twenty fourth district games. You should have let them both eat that damn stuff and be done with it."

"But then the rebellion would have occurred sooner than we expected."

"Which would mean all our planning would be rejected." The second and third spoke.

"But you made it worse, by sending them out to the families homes you thought that would break them but its just made them stronger!"

"We all suggest you shut up!" The three barked.

"Or you won't speak much longer." Valtor closed his mouth and inhaled a breath before speaking out of turn.

"We still have another plan," he began. "You can't be doing what you have been for so many years without thinking of a purpose." The three of them turned away from him, hoping to avoid the subject. "What? Do you honestly think that I don't know? You made me in there!"

"We don't talk of such things! The materials we have stored in that facility will never see the light of day. We've managed to keep the rebellion at bay so far with force. Now we suggest you hurry up and work with the technicians to track that damn signal. Whichever district was responsible for it must be destroyed." A smile pulled on the man's lips.

"As you wish," he bowed before leaving, his long jacket flailing with each step he took.

"You know my dear sisters," spoke the third, "he did have a point."

"Please don't push my nose out joint," Belladonna replied.

"They could win the war for us, they could be what we need."

"But who are we to do that when we lectured the rebellion for their greed?" Asked the second. "I think the plan we have should work just fine, destroy the transmitting district and they will all fall into line."

"And if they do not, then what shall we do?"

"Bring this war to a new level," the first answered, turning to gaze upon Flora's face. "We must bid this floral princess adieu." A blast of magic left the evil witches hand and made the television explode. "Prepare the ships my sisters, we have work to do."

* * *

Muffled voices were all they could hear, a strange almost underwater atmospheric preventing them from hearing the true words of conversation. They tried to move their arms and legs but found themselves unable to do so. The air they breathed felt strangely clear and their body felt cold.

"Evening gentleman," greeted a familiar voice while they strained to listen. "How are our little projects doing?"

"The usual, nothing much to report, though it has taken a little longer to get the latest ones you brought in up and running. When are we going to be able to test them out?"

"Not yet I'm afraid," released a sigh, "the ancestresses want to keep them as a trump card for emergencies only so we will have to wait and see." The rest of their conversation muffled but the closing of a door echoed through whatever confine they found themselves contained in.

It was then that their eyelids flickered and slowly opened to reveal a secret kept for decades...a secret that would change the magical dimension forever.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review.**


	9. The Forgotten

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews and support again everyone, I truly appreciate it. This chapter unveils the twist that I have had planned from the very beginning of this trilogy. It is what I believed **_**Mockingjay **_**lacked and what could have made the final instalment of the original Hunger Games trilogy much more powerful. I hope that you enjoy it.**

**Note: I spotted a HUGE mistake that I've been making over the last few chapters. Barbatea was supposed to be the district representative for Zenith, not Ophelia, who had been killed in BWII. I apologise and have amended the error in previous chapters to avoid any confusion.**

**All errors are mine, I've tried to keep them to a minimum.**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_**The Forgotten**_

Their eyes couldn't believe what they beheld. Everything that they thought they knew about the world they lived in…everything they thought they knew about the district games… everything they thought they knew about, well, everything, was turned on its head and left them in a spin.

Helia's eyes looked down to his bare chest where he saw healed bullet scars all over his skin. He tried to move his right arm but found that he couldn't and his eyes turned to look down at the confinement. He pulled his hand free from a strange looking metal band that protruded from the wall of his cell. With it free he made quick work of the next and then bent down to release his feet.

When the metal bands receded he felt his body float and instinctively reached his hand forwards and flattened it against the cold glass for support. 'Water?' he thought, mind instantly confused. 'How long have I been in here? How do I get out of here?'

Suddenly he heard a tap and his head wiped to his left to see someone that he never thought he'd see again by his side. 'Bloom.'

Her red hair floated in different directions as if pulled by an invisible current as she placed both hands against the glass and smiled. He swore that tears would have filled his eyes if he wasn't already submerged.

Her finger pointed to a panel outside their class containers, several feet down. Helia moved to the edge of the glass and could see it from his position. If he could make the confine fall in the right direction, than he may have a chance at getting it to land on the platform.

He nodded his head before Bloom pointed upwards and he looked to a valve on the ceiling. Carefully he floated to the top and pushed his feet to opposite sides of the glass, feeling it strangely sturdy under their pressure. There were nuts and bolts covering the top and he had no idea how to break through them before he found what he assumed to be the water tube. It broke through the central metallic cap and, forming a fist with his hand, Helia tried to punch his way out. All he felt were his bones crack.

He turned to face Bloom again and shook his head, she pointed back down to the floor. He floated down and took a hold of one of the metal foot braces and pulled with all his might. His feet on either side helped to add the leverage as he heaved and beads of sweat floated into the rest of his oxygenated supply. Finally it seemed to give and he wriggled it around a little before pulling the semi circular metal bar out of its position.

He returned to the top and hit the tube several times until it finally broke free and Helia felt the container begin to swing. He braced himself to one side and then pushed to the other, once and then again, praying that it would be enough.

Finally, after swinging backwards and forwards twenty times, he felt the glass container break from its hold and smash on the walkway below with a crash. The first thing Helia felt was the impact, it knocked the wind from his lungs as he coughed and tried to push himself away from the shards of broken glass that had managed to sting into his arms. Once free from the wreckage he finally saw its full extent and his mouth widened, eyes filled with tears and heart sunk.

Suddenly what those men were talking about made sense, suddenly everything made sense and yet it still begged so many questions… because lining the walls, in tens of rows and hundreds of watered capsules, were the victors, the losers…the tributes.

Everyone that had competed in the district games for the past twenty five years were there. He could see Musa, Riven, Bishop, Mirta, Galatea, Derrick, Griffin, the victors that he faced inside his own arena, the tributes he faced the first time around. Rose was there with Darcy, they were all there… they were all alive.

"Oh my God," he sighed, finding it difficult to speak any other words. He searched the rows and turned on his bare feet, not even registering the cold or the water dripping from his hair down his spine. He saw Icy, even the girl who ran onto the stage and helped them, and that was when he remembered Bloom.

She beat against the glass above and he raced to the button and pressed it, making her capsule lower much slower than his did and the door open. The water drained and she nearly collapsed on the ground. "You okay?" Helia asked and she nodded, releasing her breath in quick gasps as shivers wracked her bones.

"Yeah, just been in there a long time," she sighed and a smile spread on his face, one that lit up the room and ignited Bloom's spirit.

"I can't believe this…are they all really?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "guess that explains why they want you to get away from the arena's bodies so quickly."

"What about Daphne?" Helia asked and Bloom shook her head.

"I haven't seen her; we were separated when we were brought in."

'_Warning, pod malfunction in basement 2A, all units respond!' _A voice commanded over the speakers while red warning lights sparked to life and bathed the two in their crimson glow. Bloom stepped to the left, her hand brushing against Helia's shorts before she gripped his wrist and pulled him away toward an exit. He followed and met her pace but took a moment to look back over his shoulder.

'I'll be back for all of you,' he whispered, 'I promise.'

* * *

Bloom's feet leaped ahead through the tunnels with Helia following closely behind. She paused to remember where she had been dragged semi conscious from and turned to her right down another corridor of white. A green security camera turned into the hall and she pulled Helia to the right behind a cabinet and waited for it to turn. Peaking around the corner she watched soldiers run, swearing profusely over their radios while the ancestral witches put the entire castle into lockdown.

With the camera turned they ran through another door and found themselves in a security closet. Helia opened one of the lockers and pulled a shirt over his head and changed his silver shorts for a pair of jeans while Bloom covered her body with a white laboratory coat and tied her hair up with a rubber band. She finally felt her body stop shaking and turned to see Helia in shock. "Helia I-"

"For too long the people of the magical dimension have been ruled by demonic, unjustifiable cruelty and now is the time to stop it." Like a sonic radar Helia found himself rushing into the adjoining room full of spilt coffee cups and haphazardly thrown rubbish as soldiers left to search for the two of them. "Now is to the time for us all to learn the true meaning of strength and raise our heads together as one to beat these witches once and for all and end their reign! No more slavery, no more death, this war will be the last you ever have to face because when we win you will be free!"

"That's my girl," Helia smiled but felt Bloom pull against his hand.

"We need to get out of here! They'll find us if we don't!"

"Helia and Icy's sacrifices will not have been in vain…"

Even Bloom stopped her protests then. In her eyes she could see Flora's conviction, could see the pain of a woman in mourning, and then she looked to Helia and noticed how he reflected the same expression in his own features. Flora thought that he was dead. She had seen him be shot by Valtor and his soldiers; had seen him fall with no hope of returning and now she was standing before the television screens with such pride and strength. "The children that were sent to the arena to be slaughtered by one another and the victors that were then sent back will not have fought in vain. We, the rebellion, will conquer any obstacle, will defeat any army, will destroy every last follower of the witches until their history is nothing but ash under our feet."

The last memory he had of Flora was her hand reaching to his in the white as the arena exploded into millions of pieces. He hadn't seen her since they were cruelly ripped apart from one another that day, hadn't seen her face or gazed into her beautiful eyes. He hadn't seen the spark of light and energy that kept him fighting for so long.

But now that he could see her eyes, now that he saw that spark of light and energy was gone, now that he saw the face of a broken woman, he felt his heart break in a new and unexpected way.

"My name is Flora of Linphea. My district was destroyed, my friends were massacred, my family was forced into hiding, the love of my life was murdered, and now I am the face of the rebellion and I will not stop until the witches are nothing but a distant memory." She held such strength in her words, yet he could see past her façade, past what she projected to the people of the magical dimension and into her heart. She was tired of the fighting, she was tired of living… and he needed to be her light now. He needed to be her spark of life and transform that broken shell back into the powerful woman that he knew.

"For today is the day, and now is the hour, that we will be free and make the odds in our favour!"

The two heard screams and yells from an unknown source and Bloom pulled him from his trance and towards a possible exit. Their feet pounded against the earth and they reached another corner and paused as another soldier passed before continuing on their journey. At the end of the hall stood another guard who sounded the alarm and aimed his weapon. Helia raced forwards and blocked Bloom with his body before sliding to the earth and kicking him in the knee. He fell to the floor in agony before Helia relieved him of his weapon and ushered Bloom to the door. They lifted his hand to the biometric scanner and when the door opened were bathed in warm sunlight.

With gun in hand, and Bloom by Helia's side, the two ran through the thick of the forest, hearing the rebellion supporting screams from Magix and the ancestral witches curses in one almighty swell. They were free… they were going home.

* * *

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Valtor barked as he surveyed the damage. His hands clenched into fists so hard his knuckles turned white and he bit on his back teeth before punching a nearby security guard with all his might. "Who is missing?" He asked and a timid researcher passed him two pages that he snatched from their hands the moment they entered his vision. "Shit!" He cursed.

"Secure the rest of the pods!"

"But sir they are all secure." Valtor's fingers gripped the white laboratory coat and forced him over the edge of the walkway. He held the bumbling scientist there, eyes narrowed and fierce.

"I should drop you," he noted calmly. "The ancestresses wouldn't blame me for doing so because your pods are not secure! Don't you dare defend yourself when you, clearly, slipped the hell up and have ruined a full proof plan!" Valtor pulled the scientist above his head and back onto the metal platform where he hit his back with a bang. "Do your job or that black abyss will be your resting place!" Angrily he stormed away, his feet crushing the glass shards underfoot.

* * *

The city streets of Magix were lined with civilians and soldiers passed through them, eyes searching for their two targets. Helia and Bloom entered the group and started slowly making their way through, following particular groups of people to lead toward their destination. They needed to find a way out of the capitol and into the districts, but the real question was how.

They passed the transportus station and instantly dismissed it as an option, considering the ten or so soldiers that surrounded its perimeter and were checking identification to make sure that only the loyal were to pass through. They continued walking, hand in hand as if they were a couple, for as long as they could to look inconspicuous and hid their faces as well as possible. An older man ran towards them with a cardboard sign proclaiming the end of the world was on them and that Magix was no longer the safest place in the magical dimension. They moved along and shook him away before entering a nearby bar and restaurant. They took a seat and asked for glasses of water while watching the ongoing broadcast play out on a television screen in the corner of the room.

"They haven't released a warning yet." Helia noted and Bloom shook her head, smiling to the bar tender who set their glasses down on the mahogany bench top.

"They won't do it, admitting their mistake and admitting that you were never truly killed will only putthem at greater risk of proving the rebellion right."

"Then shouldn't I do something?" Helia whispered. "Maybe cause some sort of scene to make sure that people know the truth?"

"Not unless you want to be killed again," Bloom replied, "and this time I mean for good. Our main priority right now is to get out of here and back to District Twelve."

"Twelve?" A woman questioned on their left, making the two face her. "Twelve's nothing but a pile of ash now, have you been living under a rock or something?"

"No," Helia answered firmly, his face remaining stoic but head building a new train of thought. "Just forgot, that's all."

"Yeah well, good luck getting yourself out of here, no trains or ships will take you, we're in the middle of a war after all."

"You don't sound too pleased about it?" Bloom asked and the woman released a laugh. She looked the young woman in the eye through her glasses and Helia realised exactly who she was. The shoulder length brown hair, those glasses, the way she stood with her arms crossed and made anyone she set eyes on feel insignificant. 'Griselda' Helia thought before sipping his water again and replying. "The war is bad for business, right?"

"I suppose the training of tributes isn't as popular an activity these days…too bad really, nothing better than watching all my talent go down the drain with their inability to survive."

"What about the last one you had? Flora? Heard she was pretty good, people say she's the best tribute they've ever had."

"She should have died in the arena," Griselda sighed, ordering herself another glass. "Who are you two anyway? You both look oddly familiar." The two exchanged a glance before Helia looked into the reflection of his glass and saw his face for the first time since they escaped. His forehead carried a gash and his cheekbone had its own previously healed mark.

"Must have one of those faces," Helia replied, "you know, you'd think that they would have another district game, to distract people from the wars real problems."

"It wouldn't happen, and, if I'm honest, it's the last thing I want to do again." Helia's eyes widened a little as Bloom tugged on his arm to try and signal their need to retreat. Her head wiped to the right and she saw soldiers making their way inside, checking for faces.

"The district games should be a memory wiped clean from all of our lives and Flora should have died in the arena to stop the fate that awaits her."

"Which is what, exactly?" Helia asked, the officers making their way around the bar and closer towards the trio. "According to that little media conference, she's lost everything she ever wanted."

"And I might be able to help her get one thing back." She walked between the two and placed her hands on their shoulders. Helia watched in the reflection as his hair turned a blazing white and Bloom's became almost black in appearance. Their eyes changed colour quickly and when the soldiers asked for them to show their faces it took them no longer than a few seconds to finish the inspection and clear the room. Griselda's hands released and the two turned back to normal.

"Follow me," she tilted her head to a back exit and the two did as they were told and entered the door. Griselda flicked her wrist to lock the door and protect it with a spell, leaving the three of them totally alone inside a dark brick hallway with three lights to guide their path to the exit. "You want to get back to Linphea, I know a way."

"How?"

"I've worked for the ancestresses enough to know their secrets. I heard over the intercoms this morning that they are planning on assaulting the district that sent Flora's message to the dimensions. The only district with enough processing power and technology to bypass their security systems is -"

"Zenith," Helia interrupted and she nodded.

"They are sending a tactical response team into the district to stop the transmission and destroy their link before patching the problem entirely. If you want to get out to where the rebellion is, they are your best chance."

"A woman mentioned to Icy and myself that Barbatea would be able to help us."

"She's a previous winner of the games, someone strong and full of knowledge. If you need anyone to help it will be her. I can get you on the ship, but once you leave the tarmac then you're on your own."

"Let's do it," Helia declared, meeting Bloom's eyes. "If it will get us out of here and to Flora then we have no other choice."

"There will be just one problem," Griselda continued. "Valtor is the ancestress' personal liaison and the security team leader; you need to get past him to get onto the ships. I can bring you to him and fake some documents but from then it's all up to you. He might kill you on the spot if he finds out it's the two of you."

"Then we just have to make sure that he doesn't find out," Helia decided, "we'll need new clothes, contact lenses, hair dye, scissors and uniforms to get past Valtor's defences."

"I'll grab everything you need. Meet me in my apartment; it's at the end of this walkway and down two more streets on the right, level twenty seven, room 204."

"How can we trust you?" Bloom questioned. "How will we know that you're not trying to set us up and that you'll go running to the authorities the minute you leave." Griselda unzipped her jacket and showed them a replica of Flora's golden pin attached to her blouse. Anyone who wore it was true to their intentions and was going to work in their best interests. Citizens caught with the jewellery were shot in the streets so wearing it wasn't a decision to be taken lightly.

"Alright, we'll meet you there." Helia's hand extended and Griselda took it firmly into her own.

"It's time to get you home."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review :) **


	10. Opposite Sides of the Same War

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone, there will be a delay between this chapter and the next one because of studying commitments.**

**All errors are mine (sorry for another late night proofread)**

**Warning: This chapter contains violence, blood and adult themes suitable to the T rating.**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_**Opposite Sides of the Same War**_

Tendrils of hair floated to the bathroom tiles, each strand slicing itself away as Bloom worked her magic to significantly shorten Helia's hair. He didn't mind the final look; the length stayed in control in the front by the back was much shorter and allowed his neck to see the light of day. The two prepared the solution for Bloom's hair before getting his own blonde dye ready to go. Rubbing it into his scalp he felt his eyes begin to sting. "Why couldn't we have just used magic?"

"Because it would only be temporary," Bloom explained, "we need this to look as real as possible and I kind of like my new colour." She admired herself in the mirror, her black hair perfectly disguising her traits. Her hair had been cut much shorter than before and now sat comfortably at her shoulders.

"What do you think?" Helia asked, turning after doing a final rinse and Bloom laughed. "What?"

"You look like you should be in a boy band!"

"All I'm missing are the pierced ears," Helia joked, placing his hands on his hips and growing more accustomed to his new look. Although the scars were there to help mask his appearance he supposed they didn't intrude too much. The cheek bone one was hardly noticeable while the larger one angled down his forehead from his right temple. He could hardly recognise himself as the man who left home but if the only way to get home was to join the ancestral witches' forces in their invasion of Zenith than he had no other choice. He needed to get home, needed to tell the world about the witches secret – needed to reveal the truth.

The two got themselves dressed while Griselda busied herself with preparing their papers and accreditations. She had mentioned to Valtor that there were two promising recruits with extensive experience at handling both magical and physical weaponry, which was true, at least in Helia's case. After stamping the final paper she passed the two a pair of boxes, each containing different colour changing contact lenses. Helia moved the almost black contacts into his eyes with difficulty and instantly felt them begin to sting and burn. Bloom did the same with hers, changing her eyes from blue to green.

"I have your uniforms ready," Griselda explained, taking out two full uniforms that fit them. They were black from head to toe with silver capped boots that reached their knees and the symbol of the ancestral witches on the arms and across the shoulders. The two also came with helmets and visors which Helia thought would work perfectly to conceal their identities.

"Use tonight to rest, you've both had an eventful day. I suggest keeping the contact lenses in to help your eyes adjust so tomorrow they won't be red or irritated." The two nodded and, after a brief discussion on who would sleep on the bed and who would sleep on the floor, they fell into a deep slumber hoping that their plan would go accordingly.

* * *

Zippers were pulled, papers were filed, boots marched and the two were ready to go. They walked down the halls toward the airships bay where a fleet of ten were ready and waiting to invade. Soldiers pushed barrels and moved boxes of guns into position on the ships while others shouted orders about screening and navigation. While, standing in the middle of the chaos with a gun in one hand and his ancestral cape hanging around his shoulders was Valtor. He definitely looked like a commander or general who oozed confidence.

"Griselda, keeping yourself busy?" She nodded before passing him the two piles of papers. He inspected them and indicated for the two to remove their helmets. They did so quickly and remained firm, they looked straight ahead and never in his eye, just as Griselda had instructed.

"Names."

"James Marcus of Magix, sir!" Helia answered, keeping his head high and avoiding his gaze before Bloom took her turn.

"Clara Read of Magix, sir!"

"Griselda says you are both ready to fight at our side and that you are both excellent at both physical and magical related combat."

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Look me in the eye," he ordered and Helia lifted his gaze, he stared and didn't dare blink. Although every part of him wanted to take the damn gun he held in his hand, beat him about the head with it and then blow his brains out, he refused to let into the temptation. Valtor looked him up and down, touched his shoulders to check for his build and then inspected Bloom in the same regard for a slightly shorter period of time.

Once seemingly satisfied he stepped back and contemplated the decision again, slowly increasing Helia's heart rate to the point where he could hear the blood pounding in his ears. His future with Flora lay inside the hands of the man that ripped them apart, the man who killed him and wouldn't hesitate doing the same a second time should he learn the truth. It seemed ironic that his future rested on such a person's shoulders but he supposed the odds had never really been in his favour.

"Alright," he announced, "but before we disembark, I need you to resite the witches' oath."

"All those who rebel, all those who fight, all those who oppose, who don't know the right, must be destroyed in any way possible, may this oath be upheld." Griselda's lessons had come in handy and with a satisfied smirk he turned and removed two guns from a box behind him. The large, high powered automatic rifles were placed into their innocent hands. Helia's index finger brushed against the trigger and again turning and taking two more guns from a box behind him. He passed one to Helia who took it into his hands before he passed another to Bloom and showed them the way.

'Nearly there, Flora…I'm coming home.'

* * *

"Emergency broadcast from Zenith." A speaker announced through the corridors making Flora race into the main control room with Sky and Anagan. The three skidded to a hault before Barbatea's face appeared on-screen.

"What is it?" Sky asked.

"The witches are on their way here. Scouts identified ten ships by satellite, heavily enforced and each full of soldiers. I've sent for evacuation orders and asked people to hide themselves in our underground bunkers but if we are found then… then Zenith will too be taken and destroyed."

"What are we going to do?" Anagan asked and Sky bit his back teeth in concentration. He could see Flora's determination and remembered the argument they had well. Leaving the districts to fend for themselves wasn't working any longer. Sure they may lose soldiers and good men and women, but it had to be better than losing district after district. Leadership didn't mean telling others what to do but learning from mistakes and making the right calls. It meant that he needed to step up and take responsibility for his world, for the rebellion, for everything he had asked Flora to continue fighting for.

"Sit tight; we will be sending ten ships to you, two from districts one, eight, nine and thirteen, and each heavily armoured and staffed with dedicated personnel. I will also be sending Flora and Anagan in to fight by your side. It is time the rebellion worked together. I will also be sending three ships from district eleven who will be notified as a rescue and recovery destination for any wounded or innocents. If necessary we will evacuate all civilians to Rhythm."

Barbatea's face clearly showed relief and she nodded, water slowly filling her eyes. "Thank you."

"Tell everyone to stay strong…we can get through this, together."

* * *

Holding onto the bar above the door with one hand, Helia leant outside and looked to the civilians below, all scampering through the streets to get themselves away. He could hear their screams as the shadows passed overhead and they ran to escape. "Time to teach them all a lesson," spoke Valtor into his ear, a wireless commanding system linked through his helmet. "Pay close attention, Zenith, this is what happens to those foolish enough to rebel. Open fire!"

The guns ejected below and showered the streets with bullets. Women protected their children and pulled them away from the carnage though tripped and found themselves caught in the fire. A young girl looking innocently into the sky and straight into Helia's eyes was struck down when a bullet pierced her body and sent blood spraying through the air.

It was in that moment that Helia did the one thing he knew to be true. Hiding and hitch-hiking a trip back to the rebellion was over. Now was his time to act.

Taking the gun in his hands he stepped back into the ship and fired. The bullets pierced through their helmet visors and into their brains, killing them instantly. He turned to the pilot and fired another round into his head before pulling him to the ground and sitting at the controls.

"What are you going to do?" Bloom asked, sitting inside the co-pilot chair.

"Try and stop this thing," he answered. "You should get down to ground level, get the people away." Her green eyes met Helia's dark brown ones and she nodded before taking one of the ropes from the side of the ship and exiting to ground level. She let it go and watched from below as Helia turned the ship around and fired on another, making it explode in a giant ball of fire and smoke. Men jumped from its burning carcass in an attempt to escape the agony but found their bodies break on contact with the ground.

"Open fire! Destroy that ship!" Valtor commanded and three ships fired their rounds into the cockpit. Bending down and shielding his face from the glass as it broke, he lifted his head again and fired, feeling each pump of the high powered machine gun between his fingers. The witches had made him into a killer, they had forced him to do unspeakable deeds in the arena and now the entire magical dimension was his battlefield.

Another ship malfunctioned and fell from the sky as he heard civilians scream and cheer at the same time. He soared high into the sky and saw the sun before turning the ship around and blasting those who followed once more. Bullets pierced the cabin and he felt a sting against his right arm but fought past the pain to deal the punishment they all deserved.

Two ships swooped towards him, dumping their load into his metallic saviour which failed to hold under the pressure. Its circuits jammed, its controls sparked and before he knew it he was headed for a straight nose dive.

His body tensed for impact, his eyes closing to stop himself from seeing the carnage with his own eyes. But the impact didn't come. A series of green vines cradled the ships exterior from below and the largest smile that had ever graced his lips widened. Hurrying he moved himself from the seat and climbed down the vine before stepping away and watching another fleet of ships fly overhead, blasting the remaining witches ones into oblivion.

"Helia!" Bloom yelled, pulling him to the right as another ship tumbled through the city streets and fell in a crumpled mass of steel. "You okay?"

"There here, the rebellion is here."

Ships started to land while speaker systems announced their arrival and the immediate removal of anyone in the area. Bloom started to run into the street but he was frozen in place as hundreds of civilians started for the ships destined for district eleven. He looked down to his feet and there, lying on the ground, was the young girl that started his renewed fight for freedom. Unzipping his jacket, he removed his damaged helmet and covered her body in a show of respect. It was time for this carnage to stop…once and for all.

Bloom carefully made her way through the crowd; she took her helmet off and threw it to the ground before seeing Flora in the distance, helping others onto the ships for departure. "Flora!" she yelled excitedly before something hit her head and the world faded to darkness.

* * *

When Bloom's eyes opened, she was met with a cruel and unflinching light that nearly blinded her. She closed her eyelids again to stop the invasion before trying to move her hands. She found them bound behind her, keeping her firmly in place on the chair. Once her eyes fully adjusted she took a look at her surroundings and met her own reflection in a nearby mirror. She saw a large bruised and bloody bump on her forehead and instantly realised that had been the cause of her sudden blackout.

The door before her clicked itself open as a young man stepped inside. His bright blue eyes were oddly familiar and his blonde shoulder length hair moved fluidly as he walked. He stood in front of her with a clipboard in hand, prepared to begin questioning.

"Do you know where you are?" Her head shook. "You are in a rebellion holding facility; we identified you as one of the ancestral witches' soldiers and wanted to ask you a few questions."

"I don't know anything," Bloom answered honestly, "my name is Bloom, I'm from District Thirteen, my sister Daphne and I were working with Faragonda to prepare Flora and Helia for the district games."

He pondered the information before pausing and turning on his heel, exiting the room and asking Anagan to fetch Faragonda and Flora to prove whether the story was correct.

Flora's feet bounded down the hallway with her mentors closely behind. They entered the door and Flora instantly fell to her knees. She took Bloom's face between her hands before her arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders.

"It's her," Faragonda explained to Sky who released the restraints, allowing Bloom to return the warm hug to her friend.

"Bloom," Flora smiled, leaning back and looking her in the eyes. Her fingers stroked the young woman's hair and she moved a few lost strands from her injury. "What happened to you?"

"Daphne and I were separated…I haven't seen her since we were taken by the witches. I had…" she stopped, finding the entire revelation too much to explain in such a short amount of time when the real news that she had to tell Flora was far superior to any other news she had. "Flora. I don't know how to say this. I don't know how to tell you this…"

"Tell me what?" the nature fairy asked softly, making Bloom look to Faragonda who looked equally puzzled.

"It's Helia… he's alive."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review :)**


	11. Sweet Reunion

**A/N: Thanks again for the reviews everyone, I appreciate it. This chapter didn't suffer the expected delay and although I hope that the next one won't either I cannot promise anything. This chapter is inspired by the song Shattered by Trading Yesterday. I highly recommend giving it a listen while reading; it might add a little more emotion to the written words.**

**Link (no spaces) www .youtube watch?v= 4e48AxFkhd4**

**Warning: This chapter contains adult themes. I have decided not to turn this story to the M rating (at this stage) though caution is still needed for future chapters.**

**All errors are mine (please excuse any that you see, late night proofreads are the only time I get to write fanfiction.)**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

**Sweet Reunion**

"What?" Her lips trembled as the word passed her lips. She looked deep into her friend's eyes, hoping that it wasn't a lie.

"Helia's alive."

"How?"

"I don't have time to explain but were any other soldiers taken into custody?" Faragonda shook her head. "Then he must be still on Zenith."

"Nobody is left on Zenith, all civilians were evacuated to Rhythm."

"Then we need to get there as soon as we can." Bloom spoke, seeing Flora's eyes drift out of focus as her mind tried to piece together the ever-changing puzzle. How could the man that she watched die, the man that she mourned, still be alive?

"Flora," Bloom's hands took Flora's between them, "I owe you my life for giving me back the power to speak and for saving Daphne and I from a fate worse than death…please, trust me."

* * *

Rhythm had never seen so many visitors before. Sure they had their own healthy population but nobody expected there to be so many others arriving on their doorstep by airship. The sick and the wounded, the homeless and the lost, all piled into the hospital, making it difficult to keep track of who was who and where they were from. There were so many districts using their realm as a shelter, some from district seven who had managed to get through a teleporting station late at night and those new arrivals from Zenith's latest tragedy. The death toll had been significantly reduced because of Helia's efforts but the loss of any life was tragic.

It was amongst the chaos of screams and shouts from the wounded and bloody when Flora had wondered whether Bloom's revelation was actually true. It was something she wanted more than anything - for her soul mate to be alive - but she still couldn't understand how it could be. Bloom had not provided any details on the ship by telling her that it was 'too complicated' to explain.

The two entered the hospitals main doors where doctors and nurses shouted for others to move out of the way. A child with her arm missing from below the elbow was enough to make the nature fairy wretch.

They searched the manifest, the giant lists that hung on the main entrance and covered an entire wall. Bloom started looking under the heading Magix and explained, briefly, that Helia might have used an alias name for checking in. Flora released a sigh and started going through them, slowly losing hope with each and every name that didn't belong to her beloved.

Bloom stood back after a moment. "We'll he's not on the manifest."

"Then maybe you were lying," Flora replied harshly, "trying to make me feel better for even just a moment."

"I'm telling the truth, I swear!" Bloom snapped. "Flora, I asked you to trust me."

"How can I when Helia's not here! He's not alive!"

"He is!" Bloom yelled, seizing her friend's wrists in her hands. "I'd never lie about something like this... You've changed Flora, how many times have you been dealt a broken promise? How many times have you been betrayed?"

"You don't want to know. Although my heart is telling me to hope my brain and eyes are asking for proof, and until I get that I'm sorry but I might be a little disbelieving."

"We'll have to search the hospital, one floor at a time." The girls did just that, went up and down flights of stairs, looked through each ward, every room and bed, and with each passing minute and each unfamiliar face Flora's determination began to fade.

That was until they found him. He was sitting on the edge of a bed, his eyes peering out the window at those arriving. Civilians, doctors and nurses tried to direct the masses and amongst them he could see Galatea and Derrick's mother and father.

He desperately wished he could run outside and tell them the truth about their children... But it would never be that simple. The only two people on the rebellions side that knew about the tributes true state was Bloom and himself, and he wanted to keep it that way. He hoped that Bloom hadn't told anyone about it, wherever she was.

"Helia!" Exclaimed someone from behind, the distant echo entering his ears and making him question his own sanity. It must have been a voice in his head, a day dream or memory.

"Helia!" It sounded again and this time he stood and turned. His eyes met Blooms at first and then he saw Flora. Instantly his legs started running towards her and although Flora could see nothing but a stranger at first she found herself doing the same. Their love was more than skin deep; it was beautiful, pure and magnificent, what the two of them needed inside such a desperate hour. Their bodies were pulled together by an invisible magnetism, its influence written in their souls.

They ran and ran past the ill and sick, the families of the dead and traumatised children who had seen the worst their eyes could ever endure before landing in each other's arms.

Both Helia and Flora held one another tightly, so tightly that Bloom wasn't sure they would ever separate again. Their arms cradled each other's bodies with so much happiness grief and love that they radiated light into the souls of those who watched quietly. Flora leant back and cupped his face softly and tenderly, her thumbs outlining his scars. "Is it," she dared to ask, "is it really you?" Helia nodded, a small face pulling against his lips.

"Yeah, it's me." He replied before taking her face between his hands and forcing her lips to his. The passion he held in his heart for so long and the one thing he had been fighting for this entire time was now within his grasp. Flora returned the kiss easily, finding herself so overcome with different emotions that tears slowly rolled down her face. When they separated again Helia wiped them away using his thumbs while tenderly admiring everything he had missed; her skin, her hair, her eyes.

"So," he began, unsure of where to truly start, "you saved my life."

"Yeah, Sky told me that one of the witches' ships seemed to be turning against the others and that it was spiralling out of control. He thought that it would be a good idea to save the ship and whoever was inside. I didn't know it was you."

"Neither did I," Helia explained before smiling, "but I recognised those vines and when they cradled the ship I thought it couldn't have been true... But I'm so grateful that you're okay."

"I'm grateful too."

"Whose Sky?" Helia suddenly asked, making Flora laugh a little.

"He's kind of leading the rebellion. You met him on the victory tour, he was in Magix, his father was who designed the quarter quell but he was working for the rebellion from the start. That's why Icy, Anagan and some of the other victors helped to protect us in the arena. They had a plan to bring it down... I haven't been able to tell you all this because, well, you know why, but I wish that I did sooner because there is so much I need to tell you and so much I need to explain."

"I have to explain a few things too," Helia smiled softly, "but I need a broadcast set up to contact the other districts to do it."

"Bloom mentioned that you knew something but she didn't tell me what." Helia nodded to thank her.

"It's complicated and something that all the districts need to hear at once... It's something very sensitive that might fuel the rebellion and I don't want it to be used inappropriately."

"Can't you tell me?"

"No, not yet," his head shook his hands grasped her shoulders, "but don't worry, you will understand."

"We should start heading back home as soon as we can," Bloom noted.

"Where is home?" Helia asked.

"Do you know what happened to district twelve - to Linphea?"

"Yes," his answer was firm and the hurt appeared in his eyes. "Are Faragonda, Lily and Miele okay?"

"They are all fine."

"What about Saladin?" He asked again and Flora's heart started to sink. She made eye contact before parting her lips to speak. "He didn't make it, Helia, I'm sorry."  
He seemed to handle the news well by suppressing his emotions. Time for grief could occur when the magical dimension was made normal again, not before. "So where are we heading?"

"District thirteen and I know a lot of people who will be very happy to see you."

* * *

Helia's eyes widened with wonder and looked exactly as Flora's did when she first set eyes on district thirteens underground city – its buildings and organisation, its levels and detail. When looking at it with fresh eyes it was incredible, like something from a fantasy novel, when in reality it was anything but. Living in district thirteen had been draining the life out of her but she couldn't really complain. Compared to the suffering she had witnessed in that hospital alone this was luxury, heaven, a place of peace and tranquillity, at least it appeared to be.

The elevator pulled to a stop and upon opening cheers erupted from the small congregation. Helia pulled back the good that concealed his face as he stepped out and was met by a strong embrace from Faragonda. "You have no idea how good it is to see you."

"I think I might," he joked before Anagan took his hand and gave him a one arm hug. Lily held him tight and Miele could hardly believe the truth, they were all confused and he knew the question they all wanted answered. "I know you want to know what happened to me and why I'm standing here," he explained, "but I can only explain that in a broadcast to the rest of the dimensions."

"Which requires my authorisation." Helia looked up at Sky who extended his hand, "good to see you again though I think your mad for wanting to put another district in danger for message delivery."

"What?"

"The attack on district five was caused by the witches learning of where our last broadcast came from. We can't broadcast it from here or they will learn of our location and we can't risk losing another district for them to prove their point."

"Then broadcast it from district twelve," Helia suggested, making Sky lean against a wall and contemplate it. "I can guarantee you that my message is important to the cause... Delivering it from twelve, a district that is already no more will stop them from doing any additional damage."

"It could work," Flora smiled.

"But how do we know that you are not working for the witches?"

"Helia was the one who took control of that ship and for ex it attack its allies." Flora defended quickly and Helia lifted the sleeve of his black t-shirt to show Sky the dressed bullet wound. The blonde instantly noticed the other scars and hole shaped marks on his forearms though he stopped himself from commenting. He removed his secure phone line and brought up a holo-screen of Barbatea.

"This better be good, Sky," she remarked before seeing Helia standing amongst the group. "What do you need?"

"A secure broadcast transmitted from district twelve to the entire magical dimension."

"Hmm," she pondered, "using district twelve is a good idea although most of our equipment was left behind or destroyed when we left. I think I might be able to find a way to make it work but I will need time."

"Will twenty tour hours be enough?" Sky asked and she nodded. "I'll assemble a team and be ready when you are. We will travel to district twelve ahead of Helia's arrival. Rhythms transportation services have been working well."

"Good to hear."

"And Sky, thank you, for not abandoning us. You saved countless lives today."

"I cannot take all the credit." He smiled before the screen became black and he turned to look the escapee in the eye. "Let's get this broadcast ready to go. I hope what you have to say will work to our advantage."

"Oh you have no idea."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review :)**


	12. Six Feet Under

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews, sorry this chapter is short, I wrote it while taking train trips to and from uni for the last week. Delays are likely to occur from now until the end of the year, I will try and update when I can. I have a feeling that this short little chapter might be the last one I can write for a while. Please let me know what you think and enjoy.**

**All errors are mine, there are probably some I missed, I apologise in advance.**

* * *

**Chapter 11**

_**Six Feet Under**_

Helia sat still while a pair of stylists worked on his appearance. They removed his contact lenses and changed his hair colour back to its original hue making him look to the mirror in front of him and see a new man. His cover under enemy lines, and the things he had witnessed, had changed him a lot since he innocently stepped into the arena. Then he was pure but now he was tainted, bloodied, standing in the thick ocean of corpses who had died after his actions. His hands were stained with their lives and each one wore heavily on his conscience.

"Do you want us to hide the scars?" A young girl to his right asked and he shook his head.

"No, thank you, they remind me of what I'm fighting for." There was a knock on the door before Flora poked her head in and smiled. The two stylists made their way outside while she kept the door open and walked back into his arms. He pulled her close and breathed in the fresh lavender scent of her hair. "You ready?"

"Yeah," he answered, leaning back and taking something from his pocket. He held it for her to see. Sitting between his fingers was a crumpled photograph of Galatea and Derrick. "I've kept it with me the entire time."

"Where did you get this?"

"Just before Galatea... made her choice." Floras fingers traced their smiling faces, they both looked so happy.

"Flora." She lifted her gaze as his fingers curled around hers. "I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Don't be mad." She looked confused. "I don't want you to hate me for keeping what I'm about to share a secret but people need to know collectively otherwise the districts could all be blinded by the news and stop working together."

"We've done okay so far," Flora replied over the slow hum of the airships engines, "but I promise I won't be mad."

"Estimated time of arrival is ten minutes, please prepare for descent."

Helia made his way to the window and peered outside at his home below, it was nothing, not even the shadow of its former self. Every building had turned to rubble, every street was lined with ash and even from above he could see where piles of corpses had been left to rot. He sincerely hoped that his uncle's death had been swift and quick, a bullet to the head rather than bleeding out in pain for hours but he doubted it would be true. Suffering was the ancestress' specialty; he knew the pain all too well.

When they'd landed and the doors opened, Helia walked down the ramp with Flora's hand in his own. There was no call to victory, no sea of smiling faces and all their chants and laughter were nothing but an echo amongst the ruins of what was once the most beautiful district in the magical dimension.

Barbatea stood in the distance and gave the small group a wave before entering a hollowed out building. It was the last of its kind among the broken and seemingly unrepairable district homes.

* * *

Helia stepped inside and watched the Zenith team work together, plugging cords and cables, yelling okay signs and setting the cameras into position. Once ready, Sky directed Helia to where he would deliver the important address from a brick wall just wide enough to mask their true location. "Okay, play the promo."

The connection lights illuminated as the screen played the introduction. Sky gave Helia the signal to begin and be suddenly realised just how difficult it must have been for Flora to do the same. To stand and command attention from an audience millions of miles away. Drawing strength from the air around him, he inhaled a deep breath and forced his lips to part.

"My name is Helia. I promise you that your eyes are not deceiving you and that this is not a trick. I was captured and killed by the ancestral witches but managed to uncover a secret that they have been hiding away from all of us. What I am about to tell you will either be something you wished to be true, something you think is impossible or your greatest dream becoming a reality... Please, if you are not already doing so, take a seat." He paused for a moment though none of the rebels before him followed the instruction.

"You watched me be executed by the witches and a man named Valtor, a soldier and commander who had been sent into the arena from the very beginning to make sure that Flora and I never escaped, killed me. Flora, my fiancée, asked how this could be true and I have the answer." Inhaling a deep breath he released it slowly before looking straight down the camera's lens. "It's possible because every tribute that has ever been forced into the district games... is alive."

Every jaw in the room dropped collectively and Helia could hear the gasps and shrieks from the magical dimension entering his ears. "Have you ever wondered why they stipulate that tributes leave the bodies of those in the arena immediately after death? Have you ever wondered why funerals for those that died are never an open casket? Have you ever wondered, or had questions about, how tributes were processed after death? It's because not a single one of them has died! After being shot to pieces with bullets I awoke to find myself floating inside a tubular shaped glass filled with a strange greenish liquid that had been magicked with oxygen and other effective healing substances. I and a fellow captive managed to escape their facility to make our way home to Linphea." He could hear the witches screaming, robbed of possible location details they so desperately desired.

"We hijacked a ship heading towards Zenith after changing our appearance and returned to the rebellions side. The bodies of those that I saw inside the facility and recognised included Musa, Galatea, Derrick, Jared, Icy, Stormy, Darcy, Rose and Stella but all five hundred and seventy tributes who have been sent to the arena over the games long twenty five year history are alive with prisoners of war and avoxes."

Flora's eyes were wide and disbelieving, how they had realised why the information had to be delivered in one go. If anyone knew before others than it would have spread like wildfire as a rumour rather than a fact.

"If you want proof then here it is." Helia explained before removing his shirt and showing them the forty or so bullet marks that healed over his chest and back. He turned around once before pulling his shirt back on. "For too long we have been plagued by questions rather than answers, and forced into slavery to make goods and provide services for Magix when our own basic needs have not been met. Now is the time for it to stop, for today is the day and now is the hour, for us to make the odds forever in our favour."

The broadcast stopped and the districts fell into rebellious chaos.

* * *

Roderick shovelled the graves of his children, flinging dirt over his shoulders as other joined in, all of them digging six feet under to find the truth. When the caskets were free he bashed the locks with his shovel and before sinking to his knees and lifting the lid. Inside lay nothing but a pile of bricks, Galatea and Derrick's bodies were nowhere to be seen and the happiness written in his features was unfathomable, but the hatred he held for the witches was now stronger than ever before.

"NOTHING! DIG UP THE OTHERS!" He ordered and hundreds of men and women started the task of checking each casket, their eyes needing to behold the truth.

Every district did the same, each one uncovering a truth that had been in front of their eyes and under their feet the entire time.

* * *

"Is it..." Flora paused, words failing to communicate past the mixture of joy and surprise that hit her like a train at top speed. Helia nodded his head as Sky's untraceable phone started ringing. He checked the messages before bringing up every callers holographic image in a conference call. Instantly he was overwhelmed with questions.

"Everyone stop!" He yelled, making the faces floating before him stop talking. "We will conduct a formal meeting in twenty minutes, we will respond to your questions then."

Once the equipment was on the ship they blasted their way back to domino, hoping to channel the anger, happiness, hurt, surprise and extreme aggression in the right direction.

Upon arrival sky ushered everyone into the elevator and they descended to the conference room, overhearing news reports instead of hold music as they went.

Sky raced down the corridor and immediately patched the districts online while Arcadia and Oritel made their entrance.

"Status reports!" Sky ordered, hearing screams and yells in the background. "District One has dug up the coffins of previous tributes, they found bricks inside."

"So did we," Du Four explained, "all of them were missing, every coffin was empty. We have to figure out what we are going to do."

"Which is what exactly?" _Zarathustra _challenged. "My district is falling into chaos, order has been thrown out the window and citizens have started chanting in the streets."

"It's the same situation here." Bartleby explained. "Battle cries, people ready to take action, they are asking for answers."

"Then we will give them some," Flora stepped forward, "if they want answers than we will give them what they want."

"What they want is action!" Diana, earth's representative snapped. "Can we really give them that? Some of our supplies are not ready."

"And what is to say that all the districts want to fight?" Oritel added. "District thirteen isn't rebelling in the streets."

"Because they haven't had tributes ripped from their districts for the last twenty five years!" Aurora yelled. "What we need is to finally put an end to this, to finally do what the rebellion has said, 'make the odds forever in our favour'!"

"We'll," Sky began, turning to face Helia, "you released the information, what do you expect us to do?"

"To do what Aurora said," he explained simply, "it's time we made our first move; it's time to show Magix that the rebellion has had enough. If they want us to play their games, then we will play to win."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading and please review.**


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